


At Your Disposal

by hipsterhufflepuff



Category: Assassin's Creed - All Media Types
Genre: Action/Adventure, Aftermath of Torture, Amputation, Assassins vs. Templars, Canon Compliant, Don't repost, Drama, Eventual Romance, F/M, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Implied/Referenced Torture, M/M, Medical Procedures, Past Child Abuse, Period-Typical Homophobia, Smoking, as historically accurate as possible, confronting an abuser, probably medical inaccuracies
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-07
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:08:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 50,153
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24052624
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hipsterhufflepuff/pseuds/hipsterhufflepuff
Summary: London, 1868.Eileen Morris has very little that she wants to do. All she wants is to create some good in the world and to keep her family safe. Once the Frye twins enter her life, she will get to do everything she has ever wanted and more. It will come at a high cost, and she may lose everything along the way, but it's called a leap of faith for a reason...(Or, I got an idea for an OC and this fic spawned out of nowhere and is spinning out of control)
Relationships: Evie Frye & Jacob Frye, Evie Frye & Original Female Character(s), Evie Frye/Henry Green | Jayadeep Mir, Jacob Frye/Original Female Character(s), Original Male Character(s)/Original Female Character(s), Original Male Character(s)/Original Male Character(s)
Comments: 16
Kudos: 40





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I was at a mental block a couple of weeks ago with Glitches in the Matrix and wanted to write something just for funsies. It was supposed to be a one-shot but now it has multiple chapters and a story arch. So voila, I'll post it for all to enjoy!

**Whitechapel, 1868**

It was too damn late at night for someone to be knocking on Eileen’s door.

Well, _knocking_ was too nice of a word for it. It was closer to a slamming, rattling the wood and the metal door knocker. As if someone were seconds away from breaking down the door. It held an urgency that could not wait until morning, it couldn’t even wait the two minutes it took her to get out of bed and down the stairs. She had been failing to fall asleep for hours now, deciding to wait up for her brother to return home, even if the future-Eileen would detest her for staying up so late. Had Eileen been asleep, this would have been a rude awakening.  
Casting aside the book in her hands, the young Scottish woman gathered a dressing gown, practically throwing it on as she descended the stairs two at a time, her feet moving to the beat of the insistent knocking. 

Just centimeters away from the doorknob, she paused. An intruder would have already barged in by now, the unnecessary noise a means to be noticed, but one couldn’t be too careful. Not on this side of town, and certainly not these days. Eileen had heard a story from one of her co-workers about a young girl who was ganged up on and burgled in her own home, the perpetrator had faked an injury to gain sympathy and entry into the house. By the time the girl had noticed the faked blood, it had been too late.  
Eileen would not be played as the fool, grasping the silver candelabra from the table near the door. Now with her weapon hidden behind her back she slowly opened the door just wide enough to peek out of. 

Three unfamiliar men stood on her stoop, dirtied and smelling like they had swum through the Thames. Even in the dim lighting of the streetlights, she could see dark spots on their clothes that couldn’t have been dirt. One of the men was supporting a dark-haired man over his shoulder while the third stationed a couple of steps away, glancing around the block. The thing that caught her attention was the green flannel coat that he and the injured man wore.

Gang members.

Since she and her brother moved here almost a year ago, there had been a surge of gang-related activity. Nasty looking men and women dressed in red who would harass passing patrons if they walked too close to them, to others who would raid businesses and homes at random demanding some sort of payment for “protection” against their illicit business. Although there had been a change in the past few months, more men and women in green and yellow than in red, the lingering feeling of unease still hung in the air. People like her were waiting for the other shoe to drop, for the day where they would have to start paying for their “protection” as well. 

“Are you Eileen Morris?” The first man in a top hat spoke up, puffing for breath. Although he didn’t bear the same green clothing, a thrill of fear went down her spine at the intensity of his gaze. Brown eyes narrowed and his chest heaved as he stood tall above her, but that wasn’t hard as she was a small woman. She gripped the door handle tighter, straightening her back.

“Yes, how could I assist you gentlemen?”  
Perhaps being polite would send them on their way quicker than if she had been rude. Before the imposing man could speak there was a groan. Weak, and pain-filled. The other man adjusted his grip, the head of the dark-haired man lolling onto his shoulder. His face was beaten to a pulp, small rivets of blood trickling down his face and neck.  
Elijah. The same man she was waiting up for.

“Lee-Lee?”

Eileen’s eyes widened at the nickname, casting the door and the candelabra aside in one movement. She stepped out of the way, gesturing with her arm to invite the men inside her home.  
She didn’t care who these strangers were or if they had nefarious purposes, her thoughts were immediately on her injured brother. The men surged forwards, one man still carrying the Elijah on his back like he weighed nothing, while the other man looked up and down the street several times before he entered. Eileen could feel her heart in her throat as she hurried down the hallway of her home, throwing open the door to the dining room. There was one lone plate of meats and cheeses sat at the end of the table waiting to be eaten, but otherwise dark and empty. 

“In here.” She gestured to the table as she started lighting candles. It was nothing like the tables at the hospital, but beggars couldn’t be choosers. Not with a life on the line.  
The man lifted Elijah up and onto the table, the pristine table cloth immediately turning ruddy with the combination of blood and dirt smeared across the top. She could worry about the stains later, helping the first man lay his injured comrade in a more comfortable position.

“I need hot water, there still should be some in the kitchen along with my tools and an apron.” Even with her thoughts racing miles a minute, she took a deep breath and spoke calmly and clearly. She had trained for moments like this, working at the hospital had done wonders for her nerves, even for someone as important as Elijah was. The bald man in the flannel moved with the order, tearing through her house, the door slamming shut behind him as Eileen shoved her sleeves up and pushed the hair out of her face. 

“What happened to him?” She commanded as she undid the buttons of the shirt, the man in the top hat helping her undress the barely conscious Elijah. She cast aside the heavy leather coat to the floor. The stench rolling off of him was enough to make even her stomach of steel roll, schooling her face into one of passivity as she assessed him. He was filthy as if he hadn’t bathed in days, his skin sallow and clinging to his thin frame. A small part of her broke, but she had to be strong, even if it was just a front to cover the franticness she felt.

“Hostage situation gone south, we were ambushed. He took a bullet for me in our escape.” The man in the top hat tore at the shirt when it stuck to his chest, a small whimper escaping as the pulled at his wounds.  
“Why—Why was he in a hostage situation?” Eileen asked as she pushed back the dark matted hair from his face, prying his lids open to look into his eyes. His pupils were tiny against his light eyes, barely focusing on her before rolling back.

“We were rescuing him from the rival gang.”  
“Rescuing him?” Eileen snapped, rounding on the other man as her hands wandered, assessing the damage done. “Why was my brother in need of rescuing in the first place!”  
The man in the top hat lost some of the intensity when she glared, taking a small step back as he crossed his arms across his chest.  
“He was spying on them to figure out if they had enough man-power to restart their gang. We lost contact with him several days ago. We believe they were keeping him in the abandoned train tracks across the city.” 

“Let me get this straight.” Eileen took a deep breath. “My brother, a man who feeds the stray cats in the alleyway and who knows every vendor at the market by their first names, was sent into enemy territory where he knew he would be tortured if he were caught. Killed if he was unlucky. And you just…sent him there?” Although Elijah was older than her, many times Eileen felt like the elder sister trying to protect her baby brother. He was a sensitive soul, one that her family had tried many times to damper and disguise, but his kind heart was not one to be hidden. 

“He volunteered. Eli knew the risks.” Was all the first man had to say for himself. That was not the thing to say to a family member of the man that he had let become a punching bag, let alone the only one he had left. Had the burly man from earlier not appeared at that moment, Eileen might have said or done something. But she couldn’t afford to do that, even if they had been alone. Not with her brother’s life on the line. One of them had to be the responsible one.

“Then you should know that whatever happens to him now is solely on you!” Eileen snatched the black bag from the other man’s hands, opening the latch and digging for her tools. 

Her brother was an absolute mess- his entire face was a mess of red and purple bruises, a long cut along his hairline was still trickling blood, what appeared to be a dislocated shoulder, his ribs were cracked at the very least, and one of his legs was broken at the knee- but worst of all was his arm. A bullet lodged into his bicep, blood pouring down his arm past the broken digits and missing fingernails of his mangled hand. She could see how white the skin was from how close his bones were to breaking the skin.

Eileen held back a gag as she felt around for a vial at the bottom of her bag. Usually, the doctors didn’t let them take such heavy substances with them she shouldn’t even have her bag with her at home, but she had agreed with her supervisor that she would use her expenses if she were to bring some of her gifts and talents to those in poorer communities. Although his intention was just to keep them out of his pristine hospital, she saw it as a way to help the families who couldn’t afford to go to their facility. Now she was thanking her lucky stars as she pulled out the vial of laudanum. 

“No!” The word was so strangled and broken that it took her a moment to realize that Elijah had woke up. His blue eyes firmly on the vial in her hand, shaking his head.  
“Elijah, you know I wouldn’t do it without your permission.” She spoke softly, pushing the hair out of his face. “But you’re in bad shape darling, this will help.”  
“I can’t.” Her brother tried to sit up, luckily the top hat man was able to push him back before he could put pressure on his mangled arm. “I don’t wanna not feel…” 

“Eli,” The man in the top hat said softly, a firm hand on his shoulder. “The medicine will help. We’re here to help, remember, that’s why you wanted us to bring you to her sister.”  
“I can’t. Please Mr. Frye, Lee-Lee, don’t make me take it again. I don’t wanna feel, I don’t wanna feel out of control, you promised me…” Despite his hazy eyes, his words were crystal clear, begging much like a child would. It broke her heart and her resolve at the same time.

“Alright Elijah,” His cooperation would help the whole process, and she didn’t want to waste precious minutes arguing with him. “But the moment you can’t handle it or that I think that you need it, I’m giving it to you. Can we make a deal?”  
He nodded his head, placate, for the time being, his lower lip trembling as he fought to keep a straight face. Eileen dug back into her bag and pulled a long and thick wooden dowel from her bag.  
“Bite this.” She told her brother before turning to the other men. “You two will need to hold him while I put his shoulder back.”

“What do you need us to do, ma’am?” The bald man asked, peeling his waistcoat off his shoulders.  
“You get his legs, he will try to kick out.” She directed, placing his hands for him. “And you, Mr. Frye was it? You need to hold his other arm and chest, but don’t grab his ribs.” The other man had already placed his hands down, moving them as she tapped his hands where they needed to go. “On the count of three Elijah, okay?” Eileen pushed her hair out of her face again as she held his injured arm in her grasp. Taking a deep breath in she counted out.

Three…  
Two…  
One…

She moved his shoulder into the proper placement, biting her lip when pain-filled cried made it past the gag in his mouth. It was short-lived, luckily, as the joint slid back with a loud pop. Even though the tremendous pain from other parts of his body, the relief on his face was evident, breathing heavily through his nose. 

“Alright, I’d say the worst has passed us, but I still have to get the bullet out of your arm, sew the skin back together, and set your leg. Are you sure you don’t want…”  
“No!” Elijah grit out, still breathing heavily.  
“Okay, okay.” Damn her brother for being so stubborn, but unfortunately it was a familiar trait. “Could someone light another candle?” 

A firm noise thudded above their heads, up where Eileen’s bedroom was. Both men immediately sprung up, the bald man grasping a wicked-looking knife from his holster but Mr. Frye held a finger to his lips. 

“Samuel—“ He trailed off, making a motion with his hands. It made no sense to her, but the burly man got up and left the room, hugging close to the walls and creeping around the corner. Eileen opened her mouth to ask what was going on, but Mr. Frye shushed her with a serious look. Eileen couldn’t help the small gulp as she glanced upwards, what the Hell had her brother gotten tangled up in?

Above their heads there was a whistle, like a songbird at dawn. Two pairs of feet came stomping down the stairs and walked into the room. Along with the man was a woman around her height and build, but Eileen could not pick out any defining features past the dark hood she had drawn over her head. 

“No search parties or lookouts on the route, they still think you’re in Southwark. I’d say good job being stealthy, but there wasn’t any stealth to be had.” The woman said tartly as she approached Mr. Frye. Did she say Southwark? That part of the city was miles away, it took her a good 45 minutes just to get to the bridge. Had they drugged him all that way?  
“I did try this time.” He rolled his eyes.  
“Really? The whole carriage chase scene through London had me convinced.”

The only thing stopping her from demanding answers was the small moan from her brother, who was still bleeding out on the table. Christ, she needed to get that bullet out of his arm. Samuel, having lit the candle she had asked for earlier, set it beside her to give her light to work. Tuning out the pair of strangers as they started to argue she turned to Samuel. “Could you hold him please? He’s not going to like this part.” Samuel nodded and held his uninjured arm down. 

“Have courage dear,” Eileen muttered softly when he whimpered. One more breath in and she pressed into the wound. The shout he gave startled her, and when his knee collided with her face, an uncontrollable reflex as one has when his arm is held down, she couldn’t help the hiss of pain, her body struggling not to move with the blow. She had to keep her hands steady, or she would be the new cause of pain. 

The arguing came to a stop.  
“Shit, sorry.” Mr. Frye said as he approached, the woman not too far behind him. “How can we help?”  
“Oh? So, now you want to help!” Eileen snapped. “You come barging into my home at an ungodly hour with my brother looking like he’s moments away from Death’s door, without a true explanation of who you are or how he’s gotten in this situation, and you two have the gall to pick a fight rather than try to fix your mess? You wish to be useful, but only after letting me get clocked in the face!” There was a small ting as the bullet was extracted and clattered on the table. Once she had pulled everything away from her brother, Eileen picked it up and threw it as hard as she could at the strange man and woman. “So take your petty squabbling and that damn bullet and just get out!” 

Both cloaked figures just stood dumbfounded. How the hell had she been unclear? Her accent must have been heavier than usual, as is what happened when she was tired or angry, (and at this moment, she was both), but they couldn’t have been that daft. 

They got her message when she pointed furiously at the door. Mr. Frye opened his mouth, looking as if to protest his removal, but thank her lucky stars that the woman was quicker, grabbing his arm and shoving him out in front of her.  
“Sorry Miss. Morris. We’ll let you get to your work.” Eileen said nothing, watching as she closed the door behind them, an echoing silence following.

“Do you still need me, ma’am?” Samuel asked, clearing his throat slightly. Had she truly managed to frighten the broad-shouldered man?  
“Yes,” Eileen took a deep breath. “I need someone who is halfway competent to help me.” 

The man nodded and passed her the correct tools when prompted, without unnecessary chatter. Eileen sat down, picking up the tools, and getting to work on closing the gaping wound in her brother’s arm. She would allow herself to be angry again once her brother was in the clear. 

It was going to be a long time before then.

**~~~**

Eileen didn’t remember lighting a fire, but when her eyes blinked open the room was quite warm and smelled of firewood. She lifted her head from her folded arms and rubbed her eyes, slowly remembering the past few hours in a haze. 

After the two hooded strangers left, it had taken another hour to finish cleaning and patching Elijah up, then another thirty minutes to gently transfer him from the dining table to his bedroom upstairs using the ruined dining cloth as a gurney. It had taken both Samuel and her to settle him on the bed carefully, as to not disturb the uneasy slumber he had fallen into. Samuel had tried to convince her to rest for a bit, but she refused to leave his room, even for a moment to relieve herself. She didn’t remember if she had given in to his request or if she had fallen asleep on her own, but it couldn’t have been more than an hour since then.

Weak daylight was peeking through the curtains, startling her into full awareness. She was supposed to be at the hospital by now, she had the earliest shift in the day. Eileen pushed herself from the chair with a low groan. Elijah was still in the same position as she had left him, but he looked pale against the cotton pillowcase. She couldn’t leave him, but not going to work was not an option. She had never even been late a day in her life and not even today could not be an exception. Not if she wanted to keep her job. 

“Don't worry.” Eileen clasped her heart when an unfamiliar voice piped up from in front of the fire, someone crouched in front of the hearth to stroke it. It wasn’t until she saw the top hat that she eased her anxiety back down. “I had one of my men run a message to your work, claiming a family emergency had taken your priorities for today.” Mr. Frye had finished stoking the fire, spinning his top hat from his hand to his head.

“I appreciate the sentiment, but I should go. My boss is very strict when it comes to attendance. If I don’t show up, I may as well forfeit my position.” Eileen got up, not caring to change in front of a stranger, she ducked behind the changing screen. 

Usually she would ask for him to leave, but she was too tired to even try. Besides, her clothing was all ready and she was hidden behind the dark fabric, so nothing too scandalous was happening. She began to lace up her corset, thankful she had her front lacing one nearby.

“You’d leave your brother to go to work?” Mr. Frye gave her a dubious look, quickly looking away as he saw her behind the curtained screen.  
“It’s not like I have much of a choice!” Eileen snapped as she pulled the laces tight, breathing out heavily. Christ, she was exhausted, it took almost nothing to rile her up this time. “It’s either show up to do your job or start applying for the workhouse.”  
“You could just tell your boss to shove it.” Mr. Frye shrugged his shoulders as he sat down. “You work for Dr. Faulkner, right?”

“How did you know?” She slipped on her black dress, buttoning the fraying white cuffs. Eileen bundled her hair in her hands, trying to finger-comb the snarled mess it had become back into her typical bun low on her head.  
“I’ve had to deal with that prick more than once. But he’s one of the few doctors in Southwark that will help out the Rooks in a pinch. So today, I sent three of my biggest and scariest men.” Mr. Frye chuckled. “See, they’ve got all these scars and tattoos, even though they’re some of the nicest guys I know, I’ve told them to be very intimidating, so if he wants to be a bastard about it, he can talk to them.”

“Is that where Samuel is?” Eileen asked, finally finished with her bun, she strode over to check on her brother. Even if she wasn’t going into work, she might as well finish getting ready. If she wasn’t a nurse at the hospital, she would be one at home.

“Actually no. He ducked out for a market run. You’re in for a real treat, he makes a mean breakfast. Eggs, toast, the whole works.”  
Eileen hummed as she felt her brother’s clammy hand, tsking as she felt the heat rolling off his skin. She moved to pull one of the blankets off him. Mr. Frye jumped up to aid her. 

“How is he now?” The man asked as they tucked the blanket back.  
“Honestly, it’s a miracle that he’s alive,” Eileen said darkly. “His leg will mend and his shoulder will be fine, but his arm... it is not in good shape.” She bit her tongue as she moved towards the windows, perhaps if she kept her body busy then her mind wouldn’t rush to awful conclusions.   
She had seen amputations before. She had been a participant in the removal of a patient’s leg just last week, but there was a bit difference between taking a stranger’s appendage compared to her brother’s. Just the thought to the noise of the saw against bone and the distant screams made her stomach turn. Plus if he wouldn’t take the laudanum...

The curtains were snapped open with more force than necessary. Uncurling the fabric from her fingers, she walked around the room, desperately trying to find something to occupy her.  
“How long have you been a nurse?” Mr. Frye spoke up to the silent room.  
“Just a few years. I was in one of Miss. Nightingale’s courses.”  
“Oh, I know her,” Mr. Frye said.   
Eileen hummed, moving her hands as she worked in the lull.

“So, now you work in the city hospital in Southwark, but in your extra time to help out the sick and poor neighborhood kids. Like some sort of slum saint.” Eileen opened her mouth, pausing her walk around the room for a moment.  
“How did you know that?”  
“Eli talks about you. He brings you up any chance he gets.”  
“Odd, I never knew any of you existed until this morning.” Eileen pursed her lips, a chiding voice that sounded too much like her mother in the back of her mind telling her to mind her face, else it might get stuck that way.  
“He’s never mentioned the Rooks before?” Mr. Frye asked. 

Eileen shook her head. “No, he hasn’t. Although, this does explain the late nights and his mysterious friends he’s been mentioning.”  
“What makes us mysterious?” The man leaned forwards, elbows perched on his knees and chin in the palm. If she wasn’t being foolish, she’d say he cared.  
“Elijah doesn’t make friends, at least, not good ones. I cannot remember the last time that he spent time with someone around his age that wasn’t myself.”  
“You two are close?”  
“Quite. We’re twins. Though we don’t look that much alike.” She has inherited more of her father’s side of a sloped nose and grey eyes, while he had their mother’s charms with his dimpled chin and bluer-than-the-sky eyes. 

His eyebrows raised. “What are the odds. I’m also a twin.”  
“I’m guessing the younger of the set?”  
“How could you guess?”  
“It takes one to know one.” She shrugged, continuing her path to open the curtains.  
“I don’t think I’ve met another pair of twins before. We should all meet up to exchange notes and tell embarrassing stories.” He gave a smile, and wow, did a smile change his entire demeanor. From the hardened gangster to a lively, carefree man. Perhaps in another circumstance she might have even felt her stomach swoop or her face flush. 

“Mr. Frye, as much as I would love to talk about the wonders of twins, what I would love even more is to know exactly what the hell is going on.” Eileen stopped in her tracks, turning to the gang leader with her hands behind her back. He couldn’t see the way her hands were wrapped up in her wool skirt, maybe she was the portrait of cool and collected as she faced the dangerous man. 

Mr. Frye dropped the smile and dropped his hands to his lap, gesturing for her to sit in the chair opposite the bed.  
“Yes, of course. I can’t tell you everything, but you have the right to know what’s happened.”  
Eileen should feel grateful that she was being granted knowledge, but she only felt anxious and sick to her stomach. She sat on the edge of the chair, eyes flicking from her brother to the man. 

“How long has my brother been employed by you?”  
“My sister and I found him when we took over the Whitechapel district a little over six months ago. We set up some boundaries and rules for those joining from the Blighters, the gang which we are fighting for territory over.”  
“My brother was apart of the Blighters?” Eileen asked.  
“Not because he wanted to.” Mr. Frye was quick to correct himself. “He fell into the debt of Rexford Kaylock, the old leader in Whitechapel. Eli wanted to keep you as far away from them as possible, he was a particularly vile man.”

“So my brother is now in debt with you?”  
“Not a debt. He has a contract with us and he signed on for a year’s service with us, he can choose when to end or if he wants to extend it. We don’t make that choice for him.”  
“A contract makes it sound like an actual job.” Eileen shrugged.  
“It is. It may not be the most honest work, but it does pay decently. My sister and I made sure that everyone with us gets a fair rate.” 

“Is that why he volunteered to spy for you?” She asked.  
“He knew their interior, but he also managed to spin a story about how he was double-crossing us. Quite ingenious if you ask me.”  
“Until the jig ended and he took a bullet for you.” She tried to keep the bitterness out of her voice.

“It’s never my intention to send my men into dangerous situations.” Mr. Frye said, rubbing the back of his neck. “I hate seeing my men get hurt. They’re all decent fellows, I try to get to know them on a personal level. I honestly thought that I was going to come here last night to deliver bad news.”  
Eileen blinked a couple of times, eyes traveling to her brother, who moaned softly. In the grand scheme of things, an injured Elijah was better than a dead one.

“I don’t know what I would do if I lost him again.”  
“Again?”  
“Elijah has had a very rough few years. It isn’t my place to tell his story.” Eileen had to tread very carefully now. One wrongly timed word could mean trouble for both of them. 

“Is this about his bedfellows?”  
Eileen couldn’t speak, feeling the blood rush out of her cheeks. Exactly how much did he know?

“How did you know?”  
“I know bits and pieces of Eli's past. I introduced him to Theodore, the current resident in his bed. I walked in on them, mostly my fault, I didn’t knock.” Mr. Frye smiled with a small shrug. As if this was the most mundane thing, not something that has caused so much hate and betrayal to both of them.  
Eileen sighed, taking her brother’s hand in her own. He didn’t as much as stir. She thanked her lucky stars that it had gone this way. “He's a careless bastard when it comes to that. The last time he was caught was by our father, and I can assure you he wasn’t half as understanding as you were.”  
“Is that how the marks on his back came to be?” Mr. Frye’s voice dipped, a harsh growl as he looked up at his injured lackey. Unseen by most were gouges and wide lines from a belt that never healed quite right. Elijah wasn't ashamed of them now, but he didn't broadcast them for all to see.  
“Our father took a literal sense when he wanted to beat us into submission.” 

Mr. Frye’s eyes snapped up to meet hers.  
“No, not so much with me, my brother was his punching bag." A small lie was easier than the whole truth. She still had no idea who this man was. She changed the topic while she still could. "He forced my brother to go to Lambeth Asylum, told me that if I ever brought him up again that I would be disowned. Father had no problem telling every person he knew in Westminster, probably half of London knows by now.”  
“Good Lord.” Mr. Frye said quietly. “How long was he in the Asylum?”  
“‘Bout a year, before I came to my senses. I decided that Elijah was more important than anything I had in Westminster. Used my resources to sneak him out without my father's knowledge. He still found out in the end, decide that his reputation was worth more than his two children. We’ve been living here since.” 

“I had no idea.” Mr. Frye shakes his head.  
“Is that why he refused the laudanum?”  
“He hasn’t told me directly, but I know several nurses who work there, and drugging their patients is one of the tactics to keep them docile. I’m not sure what else happens there, I know that he may never tell a soul what happened in that year.” Eileen shook her head as she stood up. “But it’s not my place to pry. I’m here to care for him no matter what. He’s my brother.”  
“You’d do anything for him, I get that.” A small crooked smile was sent her way.”  
“I’m sure you do.” She leaned over to push some hair out of his face, noticing how warm and sticky he was. She should grab cold water and some towels. Maybe some broth if she could find some. She slid out of her chair, making her way across the room. 

“Eileen—“ Mr. Frye moved as if to catch her arm, immediately backing off when she dodged his touch. “I know I can’t make up for what happened to your brother, but I want to extend my services to you while he is in such a critical condition. Whatever you need, whether it’s medical supplies or food or what have you. The Rooks are completely at your disposal.”  
“Thank you...” Eileen realized that she never caught his first name.  
“Jacob. Jacob Frye.” A small smile graced his features. She had to admit, it did soften him up quite a bit.  
“Mr. Frye, I sincerely thank you. Would you mind keeping an eye on him while I fetch some things from downstairs?”  
“Of course.” 

Giving him a small head nod, she made her departure, shutting the door behind her. She should make use of the extra hands, particularly if Elijah was going to be down for the count for a while, she mused. Plus it’ll be nice to not have an empty house for once.


	2. Chapter 2

The day blurred for Eileen in a flurry of people coming and going. A dozen new names of gang members either inside her house or stationed on the corners of the block. They didn’t want too many of the Rooks in one place, as it would draw unwanted attention to their location, but there were still a handful of gang members lounging on her furniture and loitering outside of Elijah’s door. 

As terrifying as she thought they would be, the gang members were surprisingly helpful and cheerful. They greeted her respectfully, asking her questions not only about Elijah’s recovery, and they were eager to help out in any way.  
Cooking that was headed by Samuel, taking care of the dishes and cleaning up after themselves, one of the female Rooks offered to help with the laundry while one of the men was elbow-deep in her fireplace, sweeping away the ash and soot.

Eileen inquired Samuel as he was assisting her with some towels and cool water for her brother. The broad-shouldered man shrugged.  
“Elijah was one of our own. We take care of each other when no one else will, and we know he would do the same should the roles be switched.”  
“Even helping out his sister whom you have never met?”  
“The way Elijah talked about you, I feel like I know you quite well.” Samuel smiled softly, carrying the load for her despite her protests. 

“Did he often bring me up?” She couldn’t help the heat rising to her face, ducking her head down. He was the second person to say that her brother talked about her frequently.  
“Anytime there was a story to be told. The boy cares quite a bit for you, even if you used to shred up his socks and blame it on the neighbor dog.”  
“That was one time...” Eileen muttered lowly. If he was spreading false stories about her, she would murder him. 

Samuel laughed loudly. “Perhaps you could turn the tables on him while he hasn’t a chance to defend himself.”  
She turned her face away again as she entered her brother’s room, somberness ruining the somewhat joyous mood. Elijah’s condition had not improved much since this morning, still feverish and in tremendous pain. As much as the nurse inside of her wanted to administer something to soothe him, the sisterly part of her brain refused to go against his wishes. It was the one thing he had asked of her and she would never go behind his back, even if it meant helping him. 

Samuel set the basket of cloths by his bedside, nodding at the man sitting beside his bed to dismiss him. This must have been Theodore, the man Mr. Frye had mentioned earlier. A wide-shouldered man built like a street fighter and tattooed like a criminal, his shirt untucked from his trousers and suspenders hanging at his sides. Eileen felt a small thrill of fear through her until he reached for his hand, grasping it tightly. 

“Thank you Miss Morris. I can never, ever thank you enough.”  
“Oh, of course.” She placed her hand on top of his.  
Before she could say anything, he nodded at both of them and saw himself out, sending one last longing look to Elijah as he went.

“Christ those fools are not discrete at all.” Samuel said.  
Eileen spun around to see him lounging in the previously occupied chair, his feet up on the bed. It was as if he was discussing the weather.  
“You know about…” Eileen's eyes bounced from Elijah to the door.  
“It ain’t talked about, but yeah, we all know.”  
“And you are okay with it?”

“Ma’am, in our gang we have hordes of people that go outside the norm. Thieves, murderers, communists, foreigners, women, crossdressers, former prostitutes, and yes, homosexuals. We don’t ask each other about our scars or our pasts. We know to judge based on the accuracy of aim, and how far someone is willing to go for you.” His eyes shifted over to Elijah. “We may not be blood, but all of us Rooks are family. Like I said earlier, we support each other, no matter what.”

“That’s…” Eileen almost couldn’t say what she wanted to, choked up with emotion. “That is wonderful to hear.”  
“Of course, ma’am.” He stood up, stretching his arms overhead. “I’ve better go get started on dinner. Most of the fellows here can make a proper meal to save their lives.”  
“Would you send up some broth when you have a moment?”  
“I will, along with your dinner. Even nurses deserve a break.”  
“Thank you, Samuel.”  
He tipped an imaginary hat to her as he left.

~~~

Elijah still hadn’t stirred by the next evening, and Eileen was becoming very worried. Earlier when she had changed the bandages, she noticed inflammation around his wound. It was burning to the touch and white puss leaked out when prodded. Trying to keep her nerve, she walked downstairs and pulled a random Rook aside. 

“Send for a physician. I don’t trust the surgeons that are still open at this time, and Elijah needs help now. Don’t raise any alarm.”  
The runner was out the door before she even finished the last word, vanishing off into the night. So much for lack of alarm, as nearly every person in the house was questioning her about Elijah. If she hadn’t shut the door, she probably would still be bombarded with inquiries that she did not have the answers. 

After letting the wound breathe and changing the other bandages, all she could do was wait. Her hair had turned disheveled from her worrying and the floor would have tread marks from her constant walking, the only sounds were her brother’s sporadic moans of pain. How could she have been so careless? Elijah’s life was hanging by a thread. She should have been more cautious, more attentive to him.  
It was at least another hour before she heard the door downstairs open, multiple footsteps hurrying up to the bedroom. 

She met them at the door.  
“Dr. Faulkner?” Eileen’s boss was a greying middle-aged man with a hooked nose that he was always looking down on others and hard blue eyes that had never held warmth. The doctor didn’t even bother with a greeting, shoving past her to the bed. He had another young man with him, who at least look apologetic at his mentor’s rudeness.  
“My God, have we taught you nothing Miss Morris?” Dr. Faulkner scorned as he overlooked Elijah.  
“I’m sorry, sir?” Eileen had done everything that she would have done in a hospital, what could she have possibly missed?  
“Not only was this poorly bandaged, but it looks as if it’s been infected.” He glared in her direction. “You should have called for a physician a while ago.”

“I called as soon as I noticed.” Almost an hour ago now, she noted silently. “The wound was not infected last night when I treated it.”  
“With this amount of inflammation and puss? You’re either blind or stupid.” He spat as he pulled on his frock. “How did you ever get hired?”  
Eileen bit her tongue. Dr. Faulkner had been the one to hire her 11 months ago, but he seemed to have forgotten. He was a right asshole. She hated to be put on his rounds, he never had a kind word to say to any of his nurses. He had the mindset that women were only of use in the home, not out wasting time and resources in the real world. He took credit for helping patients, even when it was obvious who had done most of the work.

“The infection must have happened overnight.” She said quietly.  
The doctor rolled his eyes and motioned for his assistant.  
“Give him some laudanum, he’ll need something strong for the amputation.” 

“Sir, he cannot take the laudanum.” Eileen protested, her heart nearly in her throat as the assistant pulled out the bone saw. “Do you have any chloroform?”  
“Does he react to it?” The doctor asked.  
“No, but—“  
“Then don’t interrupt me when I am working Miss Morris. You’re already on thin ice for having some Gang Lord send his goons to tell me that you wanted a day off.” He snapped his fingers at his assistant, who set to work on a syringe.  
“I was taking care of Elijah, sir.”  
The doctor laughed harshly.  
“Take care of? Given his current state, he’d be better off dead than with you as a caregiver.” 

Eileen flinched but stayed her ground. “I did the best that I could! You would not have done any better in my situation!” 

She barely had time to realize what she had implied, Dr. Faulkner whipped his head around, red-faced and furious.  
"I'm sorry Dr. Faulkner, I didn't-"  
“Get this woman out of here!” He commanded to his assistant.  
“Sir, wait please!” Eileen begged as the young man took her elbow. “He’s my brother, I cannot leave him.”

“You’ve done enough damage, Miss Morris, both here and in my surgery.” Dr. Faulkner cut her off with a sense of finality. “I suspend you from my hospital, relieving you of all work with no pay. I expect all of my supplies to be given back to me by the end of the night. I hope that your brother does not have to pay the price for your insolence.”  
The assistant had no issues with removing her now, a cold numbness spreading through her like a shot. The door was closed and locked with a harsh click, leaving her alone in the hallway, only her labored breathing and the sound of distant laughter from downstairs breaking the silence. 

She did everything she was supposed to.  
But she lost her job.  
Now, she might lose her brother.

As if that wasn’t enough, there were footsteps on the stairs. But she couldn’t move, not even to pretend like everything was okay. She recognized the boots of the Rook’s gang leader, but she couldn’t meet his eyes.

“Eileen? What are you doing out here?” Hands grabbed her arms, but she shook them off, taking a step away from him.  
“I should never have listened to you.” She spat out, but her voice didn’t have the same edge to it. Too emotional to even be properly angry. “If I hadn’t listened to you, Dr. Faulkner wouldn’t have been so upset. He wouldn’t have sent me packing.”  
“Eileen, wait, slow down.” Mr. Frye asked her, reaching for her again. “What do you mean, did he sack you?”

“Of course he fucking sacked me! I told you that he would, but I was dumb enough to listen to a complete, sodding stranger rather than my intuition.” She didn’t care that she was loud enough for the whole house to hear, she was past the point of trying to save face. “And now Elijah’s going to lose his arm, which means that he’s going to lose his job, and that’s the best-case scenario if he doesn’t lose his life first!” 

Mr. Frye opened his mouth, to fight back or reassure she wasn’t sure, but a scream of pure torment erupted from the bedroom. It cut deep, right to the core of her, a white-hot streak of agony like a knife embedded in her heart.  
It was screaming a name. Her name. 

She managed to take two and a half steps to the door, intent on tearing it apart piece by piece until she could get to her brother. But a tight grip pulled Eileen back, trapping her in a cage of arms and worn leather. Her arms were trapped at her sides, face pressed against Mr. Frye’s chest.  
“Let me go!” Her voice broke when her brother screamed again, wriggling and squirming in his grasp, but he held firm. “Please, just let me go to him!”  
“I’m sorry, Eileen.” His voice was low, just barely above a whisper. “He has to do this on his own.” 

His howling continued, Eileen tried desperately to escape the confines. All she could manage was one arm, banging her fist against the solid frame that trapped her. He either didn’t feel it or it didn’t matter to him, wrapping an arm around her shoulders, his palm resting on her head. The anger and frustration and sorrow all came out at once, streaming down her face in a cascade of tears. Thankfully, she was able to keep her sobs to a quiet whimper, but it was noticed by her captor. He might have been trying to soothe her with gentle shushing, but it was hard to tell over the bellowing.  
It was more terrifying when the screams stopped. The silence stretched on and on. The laughter from downstairs had stopped completely and Eileen’s cries had tampered off, but Mr. Frye held still her. She could feel the slightest tremor from how tense his arms were, but they were still kind as one hand softly pushed the hair out of her face and down her shoulder.

Who knows how long she stood there pressed against this dangerous man, letting him calm her down until she stood docile and compliant in his arms. She had never tried to find solace in the embrace of a man before. She was usually the one to hold a crying Elijah, wracked by night terrors and memories of the asylum. Although it felt a touch awkward, she did feel more at ease in Mr. Frye’s arms.  
The calm was shattered when the door unlocked. Eileen barely managed to pry Mr. Frye’s arms from around her when the bedroom door unlocked. Dr. Faulkner, still dressed in his bloodied smock, emerged from the room with his assistant at his side. 

“Will he live?” Eileen demanded.  
“That is entirely dependent on him, Miss Morris.” He shook his hands out as his assistant brought him his coat. “If he has the right amount of constitution, perhaps he will live through the night. Now, where are my tools?” 

Eileen looked away, shame burning her face, and went to fetch her supplies. A hand on her shoulder stopped her in her tracks. Mr. Frye’s hand was gentle, but his eyes were hardened.  
“Samuel!” He called down the stairs, a familiar bald head peeking through the handrails. “Fetch Eileen’s tools from the kitchen. Then show Dr. Faulkner the way off of her premise.”  
Dr. Faulkner looked between the two, rolling his eyes and making his way downstairs, the young man close behind. The moment his back was turned, Eileen rushed across the hallway. The door clattered as it was thrown open, Eileen unable to stop the small gasp at the sight. 

Elijah had been in bad shape this afternoon, but now he looked to be moments away from death. Pale as the bedsheets and looking so small tucked into the bed. The doctor had cut off up his bicep, inches above where the bullet had been, the space in where his arm used to rest now gaping wide open. There was blood everywhere, the floor, the sheets, and even on Elijah.  
“Christ.” Mr. Frye muttered softly, entering the room just moments later. Eileen immediately went to his side, pulling up one of the discarded chairs. Elijah was restless, twitching, and groaning slightly. His eyes were opened just slits, the pale blue of his iris unfocused. His eyebrows pulled together as he fought to remain conscious. 

“Lee-Lee?”  
“It’s alright Elijah, I’m here.” Her composure threatened to break as he glanced down at what little remained of his right arm. There were tears in his eyes, a slow realization coming over his features.  
“That man…” Elijah looked like he wanted, no needed, to tell her something important, but his gaze kept falling back to where his arm used to be.  
“I’m so sorry, Elijah. I tried to stop him from giving you the laudanum, But he forced me from the room.”

His glazed-over eyes passed right by her, staring over her shoulder.  
“No…Not him.”  
Eileen looked, but only Mr. Frye was standing there.  
“Eli?” He asked, slowly taking a step towards them.

“No!” His voice rose, his whole body recoiling. He gave a choked-out cry when he went to move his amputated arm and there was nothing there. “Get him out! He can’t be here!”  
Eileen snapped her head back and forth, deciding on what to do. To comfort her brother or to help him by expelling the man from the room?

“Mr. Frye, please go downstairs, check on your men.” She commanded, moving towards her brother. She crawled into the bed, wrapping her arms around him. She turned his face away from everything and cradled his head against her shoulder.  
Mr. Frye didn’t move, frozen by the reaction.  
“I know you’re used to giving orders, but just listen, please?” Eileen begged as her brother’s shoulders began to shake.  
With a firm click of his teeth, he nodded in understanding. Giving a small wave of his hand he turned on his heel and left. He paused by the door, looking back forlornly at her as if he wished he could do something else. 

Eileen merely shook her head, praying that her face gave away how sorry she was for sending him away. Whether or not he understood she would never know, watching as Mr. Frye straightened his posture and closed the door behind him. Eileen turned her attention back to her brother, who had calmed down significantly now that they were alone. She could feel the moisture gather on her neckline, trying her best to soothe him of pain. 

“It’s alright Elijah,” She murmured to him, pushing her fingers through her hair. “I’m here. No one will hurt you anymore.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Me: YOU GET TO BLUSH! AND YOU GET TO BLUSH! EVERYONE BLUSHES IN THIS CHAPTER
> 
> I also need to warn you now, this is a slow burn... Like they don't have skin to skin contact for another few chapters, let alone have feelings. Buckle up folks, this is turning into a whole ass story with an arch and everything, because I don't know how to stop myself lol.
> 
> ((Also I promise to update Glitches in the Matrix soon haha))

The previous night had been bad, but this night was absolutely horrendous. There were no visitors or well-wishers today, no Rooks popping by to ask if they could help or already taking charge of some menial task. Elijah slept fitfully, waking up in states of panic and confusion, often mistaking her for one of the nurses from Lambeth, crying out for help and flailing, he even struck her once, a matching bruise under the one from his reaction last night. It hurt, but not as much as seeing the look of desperation on Elijah’s face. 

The sun was just warming the sky when he finally fell into a peaceful sleep. Eileen watched the sunrise, brushing Elijah’s hair in a smooth pattern. This one of the few things she never got to do while working. She would be at the hospital by this time, cleaning out bedpans and checking the temperature of every patient. She had to find some sort of positive in all of this mess. 

She tried to distract her anxious mind with a novel. She had always loved to read, and Elijah loved to listen to her read aloud. She was about halfway through _Great Expectations_ when the door opened. Eileen looked with bleary eyes to see the hooded woman from the other night, hood down now to reveal a dark-haired woman with pale, freckled skin. Turns out that the Frye twins were also non-identical like her and Elijah. In her hands, she carried a copper tray, stacked with a steaming kettle and biscuits. 

“Thought you could use something to drink.” The woman stated as she set it down on the bed. Eileen gently worked his arms from around her and helped Elijah to lay down properly. “It’s been a long night.”  
“It’s been a long couple of days,” Eileen stated quietly as she settled in the chair beside him, grateful that he didn’t wake. “I hate to tell you, but I’m not much of a tea drinker.”  
“Samuel told me as much, brought up coffee instead.” Eileen looked over the tray, now noticing the bitter smell of the coffee, complete with milk and sugar, just the way she liked it. 

“I don’t remember buying these biscuits.” She took a handful with her drink.  
“Samuel is a stress baker. You won’t be going hungry anytime soon, but I think you’re out of eggs and sugar.” Miss Frye sent a small smile her way, but it melted away when Eileen couldn’t return the gesture. “How are you holding up?”  
“Elijah will live, his fever is completely gone and the laudanum should be out of his system by now. He’s exhausted, but he will survive this.”  
“That’s wonderful to hear, but not quite what my question was asking.” Miss Frye took the chair opposite her. 

“I’m not the one who lost my arm.”  
“But you did lose your job. Jacob filled me in on what happened last night.” She explained when Eileen looked at her funny. “Part of me cannot understand why you let that man mistreat you for so long.”  
“There are not many jobs out there for lower-class women, Miss Frye. I was lucky to get a job, especially with my circumstances. I suppose it was too good to be true.”  
Miss Frye furrowed her eyebrows but shrugged and moved on. “Have you thought of what your next move is?”  
Eileen sighed. “I’m not sure. Probably enlist in one of the factories or down at the washers. Wherever they’ll take me.”

“Why not find another nursing job?”  
“Dr. Faulkner has quite a reach on the surrounding hospitals, once word of my firing gets out, he’ll make sure I never find another position in London.” Eileen took a long drink, letting the bitterness wash away some of the hopelessness spreading through her. “Besides, I’m too incompetent to properly treat patients.”  
Miss Frye scoffed. “I highly doubt that is true.”  
“Are you sure? Because last I checked, my brother lost an arm due to my negligence.”  
“That isn’t on you.” The other woman insisted. “Had it not have been for your quick actions that night, your brother would not be here. There were other factors at play, even if he had the best medical treatment possible, he might have still had to have his arm amputated. You are not to blame.”

“I’m not sure Elijah will feel the same way.”  
“He will understand.” Miss Frye insisted.  
Eileen wasn’t sure she had a statement to counter, so she remained silent, staring at her brother with tired and worried eyes. 

“Miss Morris, there is something that my brother and I would like to discuss with you, but Jacob is hesitant to come in after Elijah’s reaction last night. Would you join us downstairs?”  
Eileen glanced at her brother from the corner of her eye. Perhaps it was her imagination, but he looked more peaceful at this moment than before. Now that she knew that he would live, she felt more at ease to leave him.  
“If someone could take my place. Elijah shouldn’t wake up alone.”  
“I have just the man for the job.” Miss Frye said, ushering for her to stand. 

Theodore was crouched outside of the door, scrambling up to his feet to try to save face. But judging on the rumpled clothes and the indentations on his face, he must have slept out here all night.  
“Good morning Miss Frye.” He politely nodded to her.  
“Good morning Theodore. Would you mind keeping an eye on Elijah for a moment?”  
“Of course, ma’am.” He tried not to sound too eager. 

It was almost endearing, watching this man try to be more reserve about her brother. Elijah had the effect of people, to make them fall madly in love with them with very little effort. Men and women would do anything he asked just to see that dimpled smile.  
“Will you let me know as soon as he wakes up?” Eileen asked.  
“Of course miss. You’ll be the first to know.” He nodded his head.

With that assurance, Miss Frye lead Eileen downstairs and to the kitchen, the sweet smell of freshly baked goods and powdered sugar still lingering in the air. Mr. Frye sat at the small kitchen table nursing a cup of tea, he looked up when the door opened. He looked as tired as she felt. Moving quickly, he pulled out a chair, gesturing to Eileen to sit down. With a small and tired nod, she sat down.

“Tea?” Mr. Frye offered.  
“Coffee please, if there is any left.”  
“Think the boys drained the last of it and didn’t bother refilling the pot, those heathens.” He got up, his coat twirling around as he moved about the kitchen. “You can start without me, I’ll chime in when needed.”  
“Right then, we wanted to wait for your brother to wake up before talking about this, but it has become a more pressing issue now.” Miss Frye started. “We plan on discussing this with him as well, but it does concern you as well.”  
“What is this about?” Eileen asked.

“It’s about your future, particularly your brother’s future with us.”  
Here it comes, the _‘sorry that we almost got him killed, but now that he’s disabled we have to sack him’_ speech.  
“We feel entirely responsible for what happened to Elijah, it was for our mission that he was captured and tortured. If we had gotten him out sooner, he might not have lost his arm. So for this, we apologize.” Mr. Frye turned around and nodded along, sincerity all over his face.  
“Is this the part where you tell me how much you hate that you have to sack him?”

“What?” “No!” The twins responded in unison.  
Eileen tilted her head with a look of confusion, why would they want to keep him.  
“Miss Morris, the last thing that we want to do is to abandon him. Especially when it’s our fault that he ended up this way.” Miss Frye reassured her.  
“Then I’m not sure I understand. What will he be able to do with only one arm?” He couldn’t drive the carriages or patrol like the men and women she had seen on the streets. He certainly would not be able to fight in their gang wars or run missions. What would Elijah be to them?  
“We have a friend, Mr. Green, he runs the curio shop a couple of blocks from here. He has offered to take him in, helping with the shop and relaying messages through the city.”  
“So he won’t be employed by you?”

“No, he will.” Mr. Frye said. Miss Frye shot him a look as if he had said too much. “I mean, Greenie works for us, and we work with him, like our other allies.” He decided to turn away from them, pretending to be fascinated by the dripping coffee.

Yet another red flag for Eileen. What were gang lords doing employing a shop keeper, or being employed by a shop keeper? There were things about the two of them that put her on edge. Mr. Frye turning up on her doorstep with her half-dead brother, knowing where she lived without having visited before. Miss Frye’s entrance that night climbing through her bedroom window. The respect they received from their lackeys, even though some of them were bigger and scarier than the twins. The way they spoke like there was a deeper meaning to their words that she couldn’t quite understand. Even the way they dressed, from how Miss Frye wore trousers like the men she employed, to the hoods and cloaks, and the odd-looking gauntlets on their arms. 

“You two aren’t just gang leaders, are you?” Eileen asked carefully, afraid of how they would react to her question. Miss Frye’s eyes slid over to her brother, who gave her a serious look. She shook her head slowly, while he nodded his. They seemed to be locked in a silent argument, meanwhile, Eileen was seriously considering how far away the rolling pin was and if she could get to the door before they moved on her. 

“We’re Assassins.” Mr. Frye blurted out.  
Eileen felt her brain screech to a halt. She wasn’t sure what she was expecting, but it certainly wasn’t that.  
“Jacob!” Miss Frye said hotly, shooting a glare over her shoulder.  
“She was going to piece it together anyways, Evie. She’s way too smart to be left in the dark.” Eileen would have felt some form of pride swell up in her if she was sure if they were going to let her live, but with her life on the line, she only felt nauseated. “Might as well save her the effort.”

“What do you mean Assassins? Like, you actually…kill people?” She trailed off, hands falling into her lap.  
Miss Frye gestured to Mr. Frye since he had been the one to spill the beans, he would have to deal with the questions. Mr. Frye sat down beside her again, Eileen tried her best to not flinch away.  
“Look, I can’t tell you everything. But you deserve to know the truth.” He held her gaze steady. “I know I haven’t done much to earn it, but all I can ask for is your trust. Please?”

She knows that she shouldn’t. Eileen knows that her first response should be to run as far away, as fast as possible. But something made her stay. Despite the circumstances, neither twin has given her any reason to not trust them. They had gone back to save her brother, they had given all of their services to her while he was out of commission, they had stuck around when it got bad, and they had wanted to help Elijah back on his feet. Eileen wasn’t one to have faith in anything but what she could control, but perhaps it was time to suspend some of her disbelief. To trust that they truly meant well. 

“Okay.” 

~~~

Eileen’s coffee had gone cold a long while ago, but she still clutched the mug in both of her hands. Staring down into the dark abyss, she mulled over the information that was given to her, the twins had stepped out for a moment. 

Two secret orders dating back to the beginning of civilization. The Templars- build on lies, deceit, and the manipulation of the common people. The Assassins- built on secrets, defiance, and so, so much death. Both sides warring for centuries, nowhere near a compromise or a solution. They were everywhere- the banks, the industry, the trade business, in the products and wares the common people buy. Even in the leadership positions, dictating what laws are passed and who gets punished. Both orders clung to their society like a thick muck and threatened to drown them all in their fallout.  
It was people like them that were the only thing protecting their freedoms. Against the Blighters, the face of the Templars. Their leader was Crawford Starrick, a staple name in every household. Mr. Frye spoke particularly venomously about this man as if this man was personally responsible for his misery. (As far as she knew, he was). 

Mr and Miss Frye left her to talk with each other for a moment. There was still more to be said, but it was too dangerous for someone who wasn’t involved to know. She didn’t want to know. She had no idea what she was getting herself into with asking who they were, but it was too late to go back now. She absentmindedly stirred the spoon in her coffee, the scrapes against the tin mug the only sound in the room.  
She could hear everything that the twins were arguing about just beyond the door. 

“What the hell were you thinking? Did you forget the most important rule in our Creed?” Miss Frye was heated, barely containing her rage as she whispered.  
“I mean, I think _‘stay your blade from the flesh of the innocent’,_ is pretty important. I’ve never been too good about _'hiding in plain sight'_ , but that’s a good one too.”  
“You know what I mean Jacob. Now she knows more than some of our allies. The more that she knows, the bigger risk she imposes.”  
“For her or for us?”  
“Yes! Who’s to say that she won’t immediately turn to the nearest Templar and give us up?”

“Eileen wouldn’t do that.”  
“You’re on the first-name basis with her? Father said--“  
“If you finish that quote, I swear I will throw something.” Mr. Frye’s voice was low, sending a small chill down Eileen’s spine. “Look, I told her about Eli’s debt with Kaylock. The way she responded makes me certain that she won’t be selling us out.”  
“So what do you suppose we do?”  
A moment of silence passed before Miss Frye scoffed.

“You cannot be serious.”  
“Deadly so.”  
“You cannot recruit every person to your gang.”  
“Why not?” Mr. Frye insisted. “Look, we’ve needed a new medical professional. Dr. Faulkner pisses me off and your needlework leaves much to be desired. And Eil—Miss Morris is in need of a new job. This is an opportunity that has practically fallen into our laps.”  
“I don’t know Jacob…”  
“Evie, you’re stellar at reading people. Do you think that she could be lying to us?”  
“No. But she could blame us for what happened to Elijah, and spite is an avenue to darker desires.”  
“Or she wants revenge for what happened to her brother. And vengeance is something we can work with.”

Eileen pulled away from their conversation, her spoon continuing to clatter against the side of the mug again. The last thing that she heard was sticking with her. If she was honest, she blamed herself more than anyone. Eileen should have been more attentive with Elijah, knowing what he had gotten himself involved with. She should have been more open, to allow him to tell her what was going on in his life. How many nights had she been annoyed at him for not showing up for dinner? How she only saw him for brief moments, usually in passing? She never asked what he had been doing. She should have known better. Maybe then he wouldn’t have been so reckless in going into enemy territory alone and defenseless.

Eileen heard the door above her head slam open. She was on her feet in moments, pulling open the kitchen door. Ignoring the surprised looks on the twin’s faces as heavy footsteps rushed down the stairs. Theodore used the railing to turn faster to face the three of them. He didn’t have to say anything, the wide smile on his face tells all.  
She immediately pushed past the assassins and followed the gang member upstairs, her heart nearly beating out of her chest. Theodore paused outside of the doorway, letting her enter in first.

Elijah was sitting upright in the bed, blue eyes snapping over to see his visitor. His face broke out into a smile, the gap-toothed smile that she thought she would never see again. Her booted feet ran across the floor, tears in her eyes as she embraced her brother. Elijah tried to give a hug back, but with only one arm and many injuries that still ached, he could only settle for one arm and pressing his face into her neck tightly.

“You gave us a big scare there Elijah.” Eileen spoke softly.  
“And here I thought the only thing that scared you was the dog that lived next door to us as kids.” His accent was much heavier than hers was. She had done everything in her power as a teenager to drop that part of her. Teenage girls at different socials would roll their eyes when she would slip up and she could still hear the laughter when no one understood her. It was horrifying as a young girl trying to fit in, so she buried it. Elijah was proud of every aspect of his identity, even if it gave him looks when he was talking too fast. 

Eileen pulled back from him, pushing the long hair out of his face.  
“How long was I out?”  
“You were brought here about three days ago, you've been asleep for most of it.”  
“Who brought me here?” Elijah’s gaze was drawn to the door.  
_(Did he just flush?)_  
Eileen looked over to see both of the twin hovering by the door. She nodded her head, inviting them in. Miss Frye sat in the chair behind her while Mr. Frye took the other chair and flipped it around as he sat, top hat lowered to the ground. 

“Glad to see you up Eli.” Mr. Frye smiled. This time, Eileen did not miss the blush around his ears and collar this time. She struggled to bite back a smile. No wonder he wanted to join the Rooks. Even she had to admit that Mr. Frye had a roguish charm about him that was pretty alluring and attractive.  
_Wait. Did she just call him attractive?_

She shook her head slightly, turning her attention to her brother.  
“Thank you for bringing me home, Mr. Frye.”  
“You kept insisting on coming here. You were hell-bent on seeing your Lee-Lee.” He teased Eileen, who rolled her eyes.  
“I don’t know if I can forgive you for exposing that silly nickname to complete strangers.” She shook her head.  
“Mr. Frye likes his nicknames, he would have made one up for you without my help.” Elijah shrugged, visibly wincing when he bothered his fresh wound. Eileen immediately moved to grab more pillows, helping to give him more comfort.

“Alright, give it to me straight.” Elijah groaned out. “I won’t be able to work anymore, will I?”  
Miss Frye spoke up for the two of them. “Not with what you’ve been doing, no.”  
Elijah chewed on those words for a moment, sighing sadly. “What about my contract?” He asked.  
“We’re working on what to do about that.”  
“But don’t worry about that right now.” Mr. Frye said. “You need to focus on healing.”

“Healing for what?” He bit back. “Not even the Rooks have room for a cripple.”  
“You remember Mr. Green?”  
“The Indian fellow with nice hair, right? He owns the Curiosity Shop little ways from here.”  
“Yes, Jacob and I were going to talk to him today to see if he needs help around his shop. I’m sure he could use you.”

“It’s going to be yes. He would burn down the shop if Evie asked him to. She'd just have to bat her eyes at him and stand oh so close.” Jacob reassured Elijah. Evie sent a rude gesture to her brother, but Eileen saw the faintest pink rise to her cheeks. “Let’s not jump to conclusions yet. We still need to ask him."

Elijah turned to Eileen, realization striking him. As far as he knew, she was ignorant of what he really did.  
“Eileen, there’s something I need to tell you.”  
“Which thing? Your real job or your new paramour?”  
His eyes went to the twins. “Did you—?”  
“Jacob has been having a hard time keeping secrets lately.” Evie shot him a look, which he pointedly ignored.

“It’s fine, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before, Lee-Lee.”  
“Water under the bridge Elijah,” She waved her hand passively. “Now, I know that you have much to catch up on, but I should really check up on your other injuries, and heaven knows you need a real bath.”  
“I still smell better than you do.” He shot back.  
“Then you’ll know how I feel, this is how you smell all the time.”

He sighed dramatically. “Are you sure you want to leave me with her?”  
“You’re the one who lives with her, and I don’t want to fight her, she looks like she hits hard,” Jacob said, pushing himself off the chair, motioning for his sister to follow. “We’ll be back tomorrow with a clearer picture. Rest up, Eli.” He made to clap him on his shoulder, stopping himself at the last moment, shaking out his hand awkwardly. Evie walked out of the room, calling for her brother to follow, he was quick to go.

“Mr. Frye,” Eileen’s voice stopped him, picking up the forgotten top hat. “You forgot something.”  
He patted the top of his head, making a noise of appreciation when she handed back the hat. His knuckles gently brushed her own and she tried to hide the way she yanked her hands back. He didn’t look to put out by her reaction, pushing his hair back and plopping the hat on top of his head.

“Thank you, Lee-Lee.”  
She rolled her eyes.  
“Careful Mr. Frye. I might not let you back in if you keep calling me that.”  
“Highly doubtful. Although, if you keep addressing me as Mr. Frye, I might be forced to keep calling you that horrendous nickname.”  
“I’m not sure I’m familiar enough with you yet.” She challenged. “I have only known you for a few days.”

“Perhaps we should change that, Lee-Lee.” He winked at her, ducking out of the room with a flourish. Eileen tried her best to not scoff as she closed the door.


	4. Chapter 4

~~~

Elijah was definitely on the mend, his wounds were closing up nicely. If he were truly lucky, most of them would fade away rather than a scar. His arm was tampered off and showed no signs of infection, which was a huge relief, it was common that the patient would die from a botched amputation.

To his best effort, he tried not to look too upset about his arm. Eileen could see it in his eyes when he went to grab for things, his left hand clumsy and awkward from lack of use. He still had his range of motion up until the cutoff and it wasn’t hurting as much as before, so no drugs were needed. He took a nap during the afternoon while she scrubbed the house down. Although the Rooks cleaned up after themselves, she wanted to do a deep clean. She bathed in cold water but heated up a basin in the kitchen for Elijah. 

“Lee-Lee, I can wash my self still.” He insisted several times as she prepped the bath.  
“I know, but I don’t want you falling.” She laid out a towel and a new nightshirt. “Please let me help, for my own sake?”  
He blinked twice and with a shake of his head started to unbutton his shirt. She helped him discard the ruined clothing and helped him into the wooden bathtub. The twins were silent as she scrubbed his hair, the water turning murky from the remaining blood and soot in his hair. It didn’t need saying, but this to help ground them. Prove that he was alive and safe, that she hadn’t let him down.

Elijah insisted on changing again, to practice for the rest of his life, so she prepared supper. Their house was empty. Theodore had been pulled away on gang business, so it was just the two of them alone. It felt odd, not hearing other footsteps or voices carry through the house.

“So, what happened with the hospital?” Elijah asked as she sat with him at the table, where only days ago he had writhed and screamed on. Now here he was, healthier and much happier as he tucked into his soup.  
“How do you mean?”  
“Well, it’s a weekday last I checked, and you always work on the weekdays. But you were here all of today.”  
“Perhaps I got the day off.” She countered with a thin smile. 

“Unless Dr. Faulkner turned senile and died while I was out of it, he would never grant any of his nurses days off. What really happened?”  
“He might have sacked me.” She tried to sound casual, watching as his eyes grew wide.

“He fired you! Why?” His brows lowered. “Was it because of me?”  
“No, no. Not just you. I questioned his methods, which is not something you should do to your boss when they’re already pissed off at you.”  
“Christ, I’m so sorry Eileen. That’s absolute rubbish.” Elijah shook his head. “What will you do now?”  
“The launders always need extra hands. Or maybe I’ll nanny some half-noble’s child while he’s out with his mistress.”  
“Lee-Lee, no.” He grabbed her hand. Even a man knew what horrors the poorest jobs held, making little money while spending most of her time. “I won’t have you slaving away, not for me.”

“What else am I to do? Ask our family for help?” He immediately looked away, hand tightening in hers. “I’m not putting all of the pressure on you, especially now that you’re down a hand. Remember that we’re in this together.”

Elijah fell silent. Eileen thought that would be the end of that, finishing up her supper and keeping an eye on her brother while he tried to not struggle with the spoon. More soup ended up on the table cloth than in his mouth, but he seemed satisfied enough.

“What if I ask Mr. Frye for help?” Elijah spoke up.  
Eileen scoffed as she started to clean up their empty plates. “I don’t think I’m much of the gang member. You’ve always said that I was scrawny.”  
“Mr. Frye knows the downtrodden folk, he helps them get places to work, outside of his gang too. He’s helped me out when I needed it the most, I’m sure he’d do the same for you.”  
Eileen shook her head. “I won’t dismiss it completely, but I don’t think he’d give out jobs to just anyone, especially one of his lackey’s sisters whom he just met.”  
“He’d help out ones he likes.” Elijah’s tone changed completely, quirking an eyebrow at her. 

“Are you having a go at me?” She asked, thankfully able to keep the blushing at bay for now.  
“Lee-Lee, I saw how he looked at you. He’s definitely interested.”  
“I wouldn’t want to move in on someone that you liked.” She shot back, grinning when his smile fell.

“Look, I’ll admit, he’s hot. That jawline is literally sharp enough to cut glass, and don’t even get me started on that smolder.” He adjusted his collar. “But I’ve already got someone I’ve been eyeing.”  
“According to Mr. Frye, you’ve been doing much more than eyeing.” She teased, watching how his face turned scarlet.  
“Don’t try to distract me, this is about you.” He said flustered.

“Elijah, I think that Mr. Frye is a decent man and an attentive boss, but I don’t have time for any kind of drama right now. I’ve got enough on my plate without a relationship, and certainly not with any kind of Gang leader. Can we please drop it?” Eileen pleaded, casting a tired look to her older sibling.  
“Yes yes, fine. Consider it dropped.” He waved her off. “I’m just saying one of us should nab him before he goes off the market completely. I’m surprised that he’s still single.”  
“He kills people for a living, it’s quite a turn off for most ladies.” She shot back as she pushed the kitchen door open, ignoring the sharp laughter from her brother. 

~~~

Yet another sleepless night for Eileen.

But it wasn’t nightmares or worry that kept her up this time, no, but it was Elijah’s fault if the constant thumping on the shared wall was anything to go by. She knew that she shouldn’t have let Theodore come in so late, what other purposes would the man have by showing up near bedtime? She had absolutely no problem with her brother and his bedfellow, but now it was interfering with her sleep, which she has only gotten about six hours over the past two days. 

Groaning softly, she pushed the blankets back and got up. She could use some fresh air, when was the last time that she had actually been outside? Throwing on the previous day’s dress and grabbing her shawl, she snuck out of the room, her boots in hand. Although with how loud the bed was thumping, she probably didn’t need to sneak around. If any of his stitches popped open from their activities, she would never let him live it down. 

She knew the dangers of being a young woman venturing outside when only the scoundrels and vagabonds were out, but she would take those risks to clear her head. The lamps were burning brightly, flooding the sidewalks with the dull yellow light. Her boots clicked as she walked, the distant sounds of cheering and music from the tavern at the end of the street. It was certainly not Westminster, but Eileen found more peace of mind here than she did back at home. 

Speaking of peace...

A loud, terrifying scream split the night. Eileen spun around, eyes scanning to find the source of the cry, falling on a darkened alleyway. Her feet were moving without conscious thought as to what consequences would be waiting around the corner. 

She stopped short, taking in the scene in front of her. Two fully grown men dressed in gaudy red coats towering above a small child who couldn’t have been older than 10 years. One of the men was holding a bloodied knife in his hand, brandishing it threateningly at the little boy as he held a small hand to his head. The child was sobbing as the other man lifted it by his shirt. 

“See what you made us do, you little shit!” He shook the child, the shirt tearing. “You just had to listen to us and no harm would have come to you.”  
“Just give us what we want or we’ll take the other ear too.” The man with the knife held it up again, the child screeched again and kicked out. 

That was enough for Eileen to step in. She hated bullies, but what kind of men had to threaten a small child in order to feel empowered?  
“Hey!” She shouted, both men looking her direction startled. “Leave him alone.”  
“Back off lady, this ain’t your kid.” The man with a knife said.  
“Doesn’t need to be my kid to tell you off, leave him alone. Pick on someone your own size.” 

The men exchanged looks and the man dropped the child to the dirty ground.  
“What, someone like you?” The man slid the flat of his knife against the flat palm. He glanced up and down as if scanning to see how much of a fight she would put up. Eileen stuck out her chin. She was no shrinking pansy, she’s had to step in on plenty of fights before in the hospital, and she knew some dirty tricks that could turn a fight long enough to get the boy away.

Just as he looked up again, the man paused, paling and dropping the knife with a clatter.  
“I think she meant someone like me.” A voice behind her said she tried her best not to be spooked by the sudden appearance. She hadn’t even heard him approach them, how had he been so quiet?  
“Shit!” The man without a weapon immediately took off. The other man tripped over himself as he chased after his partner, their victim was completely forgotten about as they vanished into the night.

Eileen didn’t bother saying hello to her brother’s boss, rushing over to the young boy, who sniffed pathetically and he cowered away from her.  
“It’s alright dear,” She soothed him, falling to her knees beside him. “I’m here to help.”  
“Are they gone?” He whimpered, eyes still shinning from the tears unshed.  
“Yes, can you tell me what happened? Why did those men hurt you?” She tried to see what state his ear was in behind his hands. 

“I was running a message for my friend, those men stopped me and yanked me back here.” He sniffed. “Said they’d cut off my ear if I didn’t listen to them. But I told ‘em nothing.”  
“That was very brave of you,” Eileen said. “What is your name?”  
“Abel. Abel Cartwright.”  
“It’s nice to meet you, Abel. My name is Eileen, I’m a nurse and I can help if you would like me too?”  
He nodded, taking one bloody hand away to wipe the snot from his nose. Eileen tried her best not to wince when she saw the stump of his ear. 

She hadn’t even noticed Mr. Frye crouching beside her, still just as silent as a predator. Abel looked to him, torn between fear and confusion.  
“Are you one of Clara’s friends?” He asked him, much softer and more gentle than he had been with the two fellows earlier.  
“Yeah! You know Clara?”  
“I work with Clara. I’m with the Rooks.” Eileen started to look at the stump while Abel was distracted, too fascinated with Mr. Frye and his gang and asking a dozen questions in one breath. To his credit, Mr. Frye was very patient with the boy, giving appropriate answers while Eileen searches for a handkerchief to stop the bleeding.

“Mr. Frye, do you have a bit of cloth I could use?” Eileen asked. He patted his pockets, digging around for a moment before his face lit up with an idea. Reaching down his shirt, he pulled out a dark red cravat, passing it off to her. It would have to do for now.  
“Wonderful, okay Abel, I need you to pull your hand away for just three seconds. Can you do that? Once I count to three, you can press on it as hard as you can.” Abel nodded his head, taking a deep breath before he pulled a sticky hand away. Eileen worked quickly, ignoring the small whines as she tied the knot over his ear and tightened it as far as it would go.

“That’s is! Wonderful job Abel!” She said as he pulled his hand back like it was attached to it. “That will do for now, just sit tight for just a moment.” Eileen grabbed Mr. Frye’s arm and stood up. 

“He needs a hospital, but if we take him, they’ll send him out as soon as they find out he’s an orphan. I can’t do anything from here, not without proper tools.”  
“I have a hideout, I think we have some stuff you can work with there.” Mr. Frye said.  
“I’ll carry him.”  
“Are you sure you’d rather me carry him? He is an older kid, might be heavy.”  
“If we run into any more of the Blighters, I’d feel more comfortable knowing you had both hands to fight.”  
“Fair enough.”

It took a moment to coax Abel to climb in her arms, but eventually, he was wrapping his legs around her waist, head crooked in her shoulder. She tried not to make a face when she felt the blood pool in the fabric of her dress. Clothes could be replaced, children could not.  
“Alright then, Mr. Frye, lead the way.”

~~~

Mr. Frye’s hideout was a bit more inconspicuous than one would think when they think of a hidden place. Eileen thought that they were taking the tram across town or hailing one of the growlers that ran late, but he directed her to the train station. She had never seen the platform so empty, not a soul besides the three of them. Abel was skunk against her shoulder, sniffling each time a rough step jostled his head. She hoped that wherever he was taking her was close, the deadweight starting to make her arms ache. Maybe she should have let Mr. Frye take him.

She was just about to adjust her position when the train rolled around the corner, surprisingly silent as it chugged down the tracks and to a stop in front of them.

“Come on,” Mr. Frye ushered them forwards, gently taking her elbow to help her up the stairs. “Welcome aboard _Bertha_ , the fastest hideout known to man.”  
“A train?” Abel brightened up at the thought, looking around the compartment. “Why a train?”  
“Because why not a train?” Jacob shot back at the child, gesturing to a leather couch where she deposited Abel. 

“Evie? Sister dearest?” He called down the train in a sing-song voice, pulling a door open. “If you’re doing unsanitary things, you’d best stop. We have guests of the pure sort.”  
A sleep-mused Evie pulled the compartment door open, a few markings on her face from where she had fallen asleep on her arms. She had removed the odd gauntlet and her heavy leather coat, looking much smaller without the armor on as she clutched a book in her hand. 

“What’s going on? What did you do Jacob?” She grumbled as she rubbed her face. Blinking several times, she finally realized that Eileen was present.  
“I did nothing besides being intimidating. This is Abel, he needs some stitches.”  
“Miss Morris, how did you get involved?” Eileen did not miss the hesitancy in Miss Frye’s voice.  
“I needed some air, so I took a walk. I heard screaming and wanted to see what was going on. A couple of your gang rivals had Abel pinned down, I distracted them long enough to get them away from him. That’s when your brother came in.”

Miss Frye pursed her lips but nodded her head slowly.  
“I’ll get the supplies, Mr. Green was helping me stitch up a wound a couple of nights ago.”  
“I bet that wasn’t the only thing he was helping you with.” Mr. Frye muttered cheekily. He was barely able to dodge the flying object sent in his direction. Eileen sent him a look, but he was undeterred. “I’ll go find some rags.” He bowed out of the carriage after his sister.

Abel turned to her, the fatigue and realization finally setting in, his dark eyes shining with unshed tears.  
“It’s alright, you’re being so brave right now.” She tried to soothe him, pushing the dark hair out of his face, mindful of his injury.  
“‘m not scared.” He huffed, rubbing his eye with the back of his less bloodied hand. 

“I know, but it’s okay to be scared sometimes. I was really frightened earlier when I talked to those men.”  
“You were?” Abel asked. “But you didn’t look scared.”  
“I got really good at hiding my fear, but you should never ever be afraid of showing what you feel, no matter what anyone says.”  
“Even if it’s being scared?”  
“Especially if it’s being scared. Sometimes fear can be very powerful.” She brushed a couple of his tears away. “Now this next part is going to be very painful, and you might feel like crying, and that’s okay.”

“Have you gotten stitches before?”  
“Oh yes,” Eileen said with a smile, pointing to her cheekbone, a very faint line tracing across her cheekbone to her hairline by her temple. “When I was about your age, my brother and I were playing around the fireplace, and I didn’t watch where I was going. Tripped and fell right on the fire poker. Oh, there was so much blood and many tears. I was lucky to miss my eye, otherwise, I’d have to wear an eye patch like a pirate.” That got a small chuckle out of him. “I’ve had to give many people stitches before, and the best way that helps is if you have someone’s hand to hold on to.”  
“Can you hold my hand?” He asked her softly like he didn’t want anyone to hear him.

She opened her mouth to apologize profusely because she would need both of her hands, but a new voice broke her attention.  
“Miss Morris gave that job to me.” Mr. Frye ducked back in, arms ladened with the supplies she needed, Miss Frye and a new face behind her. “I know my hands are much bigger and rougher, but I’m told that I am an excellent hand holder if it’s alright with you?”  
Abel pouted his lips but nodded his head. Mr. Frye gave a positive noise and settled down on the couch beside Abel, handing the bucket full of supplies over to her. Eileen dug through and pulled out what she needed, although he had said he had some supplies, it was sparse and barely what was necessary. 

Wetting a cloth with a bowl of warm water, she slowly unwrapped the hastily made bandage and set it off to the side, trying to be gentle as she wiped away the dried blood from his ear.  
“Before we start Abel, do you have the message that Clara gave you? My friend here would like to see it.” Miss Frye asked, kneeling down beside them.  
Abel sniffed and nodded, patting his pockets until he found a letter folded up in a secret pocket sewn into the seam of his pants.  
“I dint tell them nothing, ma’am. Not even when they took my ear.” He said, both earnest and shy. Miss Frye smiled, but Eileen could see the pain behind it, of what this child had to endure in order for her to receive information. Somewhere deep down, Eileen bitterly hoped that this letter was worth the price of an ear.

Miss Frye stood up and motioned for the other person to follow her as Eileen stood up, pulling an ottoman over so she could better access the wound.  
“Alright sweetheart, I’m going to give you some medicine, but I’ve gotta warn you, it tastes awful. But you can take a drink of water as soon as you take it. Does that sound alright with you?”  
He nodded his head as she filled a spoon with some of the tonics. Normally, she wouldn’t touch this with a ten-yard pole, especially not with a child, but desperate times called for desperate measures. Abel grimaced but took his cup of water immediately after and without complaint.  
“Now comes the worst part.” She said lowly as she wet a cloth with alcohol. Abel grit his teeth, his hand seeking out Mr. Frye’s unconsciously. Eileen steeled herself and got to work.

It took over an hour from start to finish, with minimal tears but a lot of reassurances from both her and Mr. Frye, encouraging him and letting him know what was coming next. The medicine did its job and the boy was dazed by the end, practically nodding off as she wrapped his head in the white bandages.  
“I’m so proud of you Abel,” Eileen spoke softly. “You have no idea how proud I am.”  
“I still whine more than you did, and I’m a grown-up.” Mr. Frye added.  
Abel gave a tired smile, broken by a large yawn. “Alright, time for sleep.” Mr. Frye moved off of the couch and picked up Abel like he was a baby, holding him close to his chest. “You get to sleep in my bed tonight.” Eileen was pretty sure that the boy had fallen asleep as soon as his head had hit Mr. Frye’s shoulder, snuggled in as the gang leader carefully plodded across the carriage, sliding the door shut behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if this ends a little abruptly, but the formatting for my chapters got a little wonky. I hope to post the next chapter in the next day or so to try to make up for this but bear with me for now. 
> 
> Thank you for all of your continued support!


	5. Chapter 5

~~~

Eileen took the alone time to organize the medical supplies, gathering the dirty and used bandages, and wiping down the needle. By the time Mr. Frye came back, she was dumping the pink water, trying to scrub off the dried blood from her hands. She tried to control the trembling of her fingers, fatigue finally catching up with her. God, she could see the sky lightening on the horizon. Had she spent three nights with less than six hours of sleep? That couldn’t have been healthy for anyone. 

“Christ, I can’t wait to find those bastards.” Mr. Frye said, flopping down on the couch, a hand over his eyes.  
“Do you need a description of the men?” Eileen asked, still seated on the ottoman.  
“No, I got a good look at those swine when they were running away. Besides, I have other ways of finding them.” 

Eileen looked away, focusing on wrapping up the bandages again, even though she had done the task a while ago. She kept forgetting how dangerous this man was. He sent two fully grown men scampering away like naughty children with just his presence alone. No matter how much he cared for her brother or how sweet he spoke with children, she couldn’t forget that this man was like dynamite, ready to combust at any moment. And she did not want to get caught in the fallout of his catastrophe. 

“Was that story true?” Mr. Frye asked suddenly.  
“Which one?”  
“The one with the fire poker.”  
“To a degree.” Eileen refused to look at him. “Elijah and I had been running around, there was a fire poker, and it is how I got the scar. But I didn’t want to tell Abel that my father had been the one to knock me into the mantle because I was trying to pry him off my brother.” 

“How could a man do such a thing to an innocent child?” Mr. Frye’s voice was dark.  
“That was the problem, Mr. Frye. He didn’t see us as innocent.” She took a deep breathe to steel herself, unrolling the bandages again because they weren’t tight enough for her liking. “I’m still trying to wrap my head around it. He would blame all of his troubles on others. My mother, the servant staff, his children. The one person he never blames is himself. We didn’t tell him to gamble and lie and steal from his so-called friends. We never asked for him to be a terrible businessman and an awful banker, the only thing that saved him was my mother dowry, and even now he wastes it away on booze.”  


“And your mother stays with him? Even after what he’s done?”  
“Their marriage was more of a business transaction. She has her lovers on the side when my father is doped out of his mind. He probably wouldn’t care if she left him, long as he had enough money to waste away the rest of his years with. It doesn’t matter for Elijah and me, we only speak to one of our cousins anymore and that’s only to rent her house. We’re not the only ones in the city with a screwed up family, so what’s the use complaining about it?”

There was a small tearing sound the drove her from her pitiful monologue.  
“Oh, Christ.” She muttered, looking at the strip of bandage that had been jaggedly ripped. It was near the end, only as long as her index finger, but it would have to be removed, it wasn’t salvageable. Someone could have used this bit, but she had gone and screwed it up.  
“I’m so sorry Mr. Frye, I can fix this.” Call it exhaustion or stress, but she was near tears, looking at the mess she had made. 

Mr. Frye was on his feet in moments, snatching the roll from her. Oh God, he must have been very angry with her. Was she about to see why people cowered in fear around him? She sat on her hands, readying herself for whatever was about to happen.  
But when he turned around, she didn’t see anger or even annoyance on his face. He held the torn bandage strip in his hand, water dripping off his gloves. He gestured for her to trade places where he was sitting before. Not quite sure what his ploy was, she stood up and settled on the edge of the couch, her hands bunched into her skirt. Mr. Frye took her spot just as quietly.  
Eileen did her best not to flinch when the bandage rubbed against her face, the rough fabric abrasive against her cheek. If Mr. Frye noticed, he said nothing, keeping his eyes on the patch of dried blood on her cheek.

“Thank you for opening up to me. That was very brave of you.” The words sounded clumsy out of his mouth like he was repeating what someone else had said. She raised an eyebrow at him, now more settled that she knew he wasn’t about to lash out.  
“Sorry, that’s what Evie says when the urchins come up to her with their issues. A lot of our kids, especially the older ones, aren’t orphans because their parents died. She makes it a priority to find the bastards- family and overseers alike- and make them pay. It’s started to rub off on me. I used to just kill them and be done with it, but it’s much more satisfying to watch them get taken away in handcuffs, knowing that they won’t touch the kids ever again.” 

“They don’t stay behind bars for long.” She knew better than anyone that the judicial system was corrupt, taking innocents and letting the guilty off with much lesser sentences.  
“We have contacts at Scotland Yard that do their best to keep them there. If they do get out, Evie and I make sure that they will never even think about the kids.” His eyes flashed up to hers briefly, taking one of her hands in his own, scrubbing under her nails where the first wash couldn’t reach. 

“I know you’re not one of the kids, but your brother is one of my men, and I trust him with my life the same as he trusts me with his. Any protection that I can offer I extend that to all of the men and women I employ, and their families, although many of them don’t have anyone to claim.”  
“Even if someone were to turn down a position to work for you?” Eileen said, thinking back to what he and his sister had talked about yesterday.  
Mr. Frye glanced up at her mildly surprised, switching hands.  
"You and Miss Frye don't argue quietly," Eileen explained. “Even if they turned down a position. Even if they said they never wanted to see the likes of me or my sister again. We’d work more in the background, but the protection would still be there.” 

“But you’re just one man, Mr. Frye. How can one person promise that especially to someone he’s known barely a week?”  
“Because someone once told me that I care too deeply too quickly.” Mr. Frye looked away almost bashfully. “Will it end up in trouble? Probably, I never learn from my mistakes.”  
Mr. Frye held up the bandage, now covered in the excess blood from her hands and face, tossing it aside. “And now this bit is used. No harm, no foul. Now it’s time to take you home.” He offered his hand to help her stand, and even despite the warning in her head, she took it. Heaven knows she could use the rest.

“I’ll get her home.” Eileen startled a bit at the sound of Miss Frye’s voice from the other side of the carriage. She had blended into the shadows of the early morning, arms crossed and watching them with a guarded expression.  
“I can get her home just fine Evie.” Mr. Frye said.  
“You’ve been pulling all-nighters for three nights now, and I know you didn't sleep well before that. Take a rest.”  
“But we’re on the other side of London.”  
“I’ll get a carriage, I highly doubt Miss Morris wants to walk home from Lambeth.”

The two twins were silent for a moment, studying each other, occasionally moving their heads and raising or furrowing brows. It was like they were communicating telepathically, and had it been any other person, they might have thought the gang leaders had lost their minds. Eileen and Elijah had been in similar circumstances before. It must be a twin thing. 

“Fine,” Mr. Frye threw up his hands. “But I’m taking your bed, Abel is in mine and he needs the rest more than I do.”  
“Fine. Right this way, Miss Morris.” Miss Frye gestured with her arm to follow.  
“Rest well, Mr. Frye.” She murmured to him as she followed. He might have responded, but the carriage door closed firmly behind her. 

Miss Frye was silent as they waited to come to a stop at the train station, gliding off the train with a grace that seemed almost inhumane to have. It was odd, just yesterday this same woman was checking in on her and being cautiously open. Now it was cold shoulders and odd glances her way when she thought that she wasn’t paying attention. Eileen wasn’t sure if she had offended the other woman or what, but there were no pleasantries exchanged, not even the fake interest in the weather. It made her squirm, but she did her best to hide her discomfort. 

With a loud whistle from the Assassin, a black carriage pulled up to the curb, two men in green coats sliding off with a cheerful greeting.  
“No no, you can drive. We need to go to Whitechapel, the Curiosity Shop if you please.” She waved them off. Eileen did not miss the exchange of glances between the two, as if this was unusual for her to request, but climbed back up. Miss Frye opened the door for her and Eileen clamored in. With the door shut, Miss Frye banged against the roof and the carriage drew forwards with a snap of reins. 

Miss Frye stared her down, blue-green eyes boring into hers. Eileen, very unnerved but not willing to back down, stared back.  
“You know, it’s not usual for me to voluntarily climb in the carriage. I’ve always favored driving, but I’d rather have this conversation someplace private where my brother cannot interject.”  
“This conversation?”  
“I want to know your intentions. Past, present, and future. And if you give me even the smallest lie or I do not find your intentions to be noble, I will force you from this carriage into oncoming traffic. And I will make sure that it looks like an accident.” 

Eileen felt her heart drop to her stomach, eyes widening. Miss Frye did not mince her words one bit, and the way she was still looking, she had no doubts of Miss Frye making her words a reality.  
“Miss Frye, any intention that I have had, or ever will have for that matter, are making sure that my brother is safe and cared for, and to try to do some good in this messed up world that we live in.”  
“Those are your only intentions?”  
“Yes!” Eileen insisted, dread sinking in her stomach like a brick.  
"So you have no intentions towards my brother?"  
"No! I barely know the man. I didn't ask for his help, but I certainly appreciated it."

Miss Frye narrowed her eyes slightly, looking her up and down. “Then what exactly were you doing out last night?”  
“Elijah had his gentleman caller over and wanted to see how loud they could fuck. I couldn’t take any more of it, so I snuck out of the house. I didn’t plan on being out for as long as I was, and I certainly didn’t plan on coming across those Blighters.” Eileen sat back as realization sinking in. “I’m not sure what you’re implying, but I would rather be whipped bloody and left for dead than work alongside the men who tortured my brother.” 

The female assassin was still looking at her, but there was less coldness there. “I apologize, I had forgotten.”  
“Bully for you, I certainly won’t. Especially after what they did to Abel, I could never work for them. I am not your enemy.” Eileen snapped. She was beyond exhausted. At this point, she would rather get run over by the carriage than try to make conversation.  
There was a moment of silence as if Miss Frye was reading into her, eyes practically peering into her soul. 

“No, you’re not.” Miss Frye finally eased off, leaning against the cushion of the carriage seat. “I apologize again, it’s been several sleepless nights. There have been talks among the Rooks of a mole and I jumped to conclusions.”  
Eileen waved her off. “We do dumb things when we aren’t thinking properly.”  
The carriage was silent for a bit, the rattling of the wheels against the cobblestone filling the quiet. Miss Frye looked over at her again, an odd look on her face. Was she still deciding whether or not to throw Eileen out?

“Would you like to help us overthrow the Blighters?”  
Eileen blinked several times before answering. “I’m not a fighter Miss Frye.” Imagine her, wearing trousers and standing menacingly on the street corner? Partaking in gang fights? It was not in her to do such things, (except maybe the trousers part, they did look rather comfortable and significantly lighter than petticoats).

“You don’t need to be.” The gang leader shook her head. “We need a medical professional in Whitechapel, as well as the other districts. Our Rooks and urchins can’t afford to go to the doctors when they are sick or injured, and I know you have experience working among the kids in Whitechapel.”  
“I’m not sure if you are aware Miss Frye, but I am not allowed to practice medicine anymore. Dr. Faulkner will make sure of it.”  
“He can certainly try, but what he doesn’t know can’t hurt him.” Miss Frye insisted. “You just told me that you wished to do some good in the world, this is one way to do just that.”

Eileen hadn’t taken the time to think about this proposal. Working alongside gang lords as they take over the city, patching up their wounded, taking care of the sick children that worked under them. It was frankly terrifying, the dangers that the job held. Not to mention that if word ever got out it would be social suicide.  
Miss Frye could see the hesitance on Eileen’s face.  
“If you would rather go into something else, Jacob and I would be more than happy to help you back on your feet. We’re don’t want to force you to join if you do not feel comfortable, but we want to help you and your brother in any way that we can.”

The carriage had come to a stop, the Rooks driving laughing and gesturing wildly as they sat. Eileen glanced out the windows, seeing some of the local kids run by. It broke her heart, to see the ratty clothes they wore, their hair unkempt and probably filled with lice. They didn’t have anyone to look out for them. Wasn't it one of her goals in life to do the best for others?  
“If I were to sign on as your medical professional, I have some terms to go by.”  
“What terms would you have?” Rather than seem annoyed by the potential barriers, Miss Frye looked intrigued.

“I will need some kind of team working with me, it doesn’t matter who picks them out, but they need some experience.”  
“I already have a couple of Rooks in mind.” Miss Frye nodded for her to continue.  
“I hate to be a stickler, but I will ask for some payment for signing on. I need to get supplies from the local chemists and apothecaries.”  
“That shouldn’t be a problem, we can talk about the salary later on once we know more details.”  
“Do you have some kind of base to work out of? As wonderful as your Rooks are, I think my neighbors would greatly appreciate not having gang members flood the street.”  
“Our stronghold is just around the corner from here, within a stone’s throw from your house. Is there anything else Miss Morris?”

Eileen thought for a moment, trying to think of other things that she could need. Miss Frye seemed almost eager to meet her wants, it felt odd to be appreciated.  
“Those are my only conditions.”  
“Well, they are hardly anything outlandish, so I don’t see a problem with you starting work as soon as tomorrow.”

“Why the delay?” She asked.  
“You look like you’re about to keel over. You and my brother tend to run yourselves ragged. As your new employer, I shall not stand for it.” Miss Frye finished with a smile.  
“If you insist, Miss Frye.”

“Wonderful. I think Jacob will be very unhappy with me for hiring you without him present, but he can get over it.” Miss Frye opened the carriage door and eased herself out. “We’ll send for you tomorrow to iron out the details and to show you where you will be stationed. Until then Miss Morris.”   
Miss Frye closed the door on Eileen, telling the Rook driver her address. With a sudden start, the carriage rolled forwards and back onto the road. Eileen looked out the window just in time to see Miss Frye point her hand at the sky, something long and thin sliding out and latching onto the building above her before it pulled her right off the ground and up the side of the store. 

She couldn’t help but chuckle as she settled back into the seat. Working with the twin gang leaders was certain to be interesting.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Grad school is slowly leeching the life out of me, but I am back with another chapter. I hope you guys are enjoying this story as much as I enjoy writing it!

~~~

Eileen sat in the busy cafe, fingers tapping out an unheard beat against the china cup as she waited. Today was the first time in days that she had felt awake and alert, having slept well for the past two days. It got to the point that Elijah had come to check on her, holding coffee with an extremely apologetic face. If his neck and collarbones had bruising that wasn’t there yesterday, Eileen kept her mouth shut.  
Elijah had been quite shocked when she told him of her newest employment. After gloating for a moment about being right, he congratulated her and elbowed her jokingly when he mentioned embarrassing her to all of his friends.

This morning, she checked on his injuries and helped him to get dressed for the day. He wanted to look his best, Elijah had an appointment this afternoon with the Curiosity Shop’s owner to discuss his role and expectations. With the rolled-up shirtsleeve, (she would need to hem his shirts sometime soon), he looked just as normal as he had been before his kidnapping. He managed to get everything but the small buttons, which her nimble fingers could grab.   
She was supposed to have her meeting with the Frye twins today, but some unexpected business came up. They had sent a courier to let her know that they would contact her soon. Rather than spend the day cleaning or making food, which she had been doing for days now that she didn’t have a job, she called up a friend for a coffee date. She had been over the moon when she got the note back with a time and place to meet up.

Eileen noticed the dark-haired girl out of the corner of her eye, standing up with a smile on her face as the young woman approached her table.  
Josephine Smith tended to stand out in a crowd, with her height that rivaled many men and a bright smile that was constantly on her face contrasted against her dark skin. She was a few years older than Eileen, an absolute rail of a girl, one would never suspect that she had two kids at home. Josephine had been working at the hospital longer than Eileen had been, juggling a job as well as running a household. Her late husband Alexander had helped out as often as he could, but he passed away from some kind of hemorrhage in the brain unexpectedly last year. Her mother stepped in to help thankfully, so the kids were being looked after, but she still wore her widow reeds, even though the time had been served. Had the girl not lived so far away, they would probably meet up outside of work more often.

“Eileen!” The brown-eyed girl captured her in a hug, thin arms squeezing her tightly. “God, it is so wonderful to see you again. I heard Dr. Faulkner had let you go, but he wouldn’t tell us why.”  
“As if you could get rid of me that easily.” Eileen smiled as she sat down. Josephine followed her example, ordering a tea when asked by a passing waiter. Eileen waved him off when she asked for a refill. 

“How is your brother? I heard a rumor that he had an accident.”  
“Yes, it was a work-related accident. He’s lost an arm, but he is doing much better now.” At least Eileen didn’t have to lie to her good friend. It was hard to believe it had been nearly a week since she had opened her door to the gang members and had her whole life turned on its head.  
“That must have been so terrible, please send him my best,” Josephine said sincerely.  
“Of course, how are Michael and Abigail?”  
Josephine laughed and launched into several stories about her kids. The love and adoration on her face as she spoke was clear as she spoke about a hot pan and curious fingers. She loved her kids more than anything, however, that meant that she might decline what Eileen wanted to ask her. She managed to distract her long enough for the evening crowd to roll in.

“So, how is work?” Eileen addressed the elephant in the room as she rolled her cup on its rim.  
“Awful.” Josephine scoffed, casting a wary eye around just in case. “Dr. Faulkner had to reassign your rounds and duties to the rest of us. As if we don’t have enough to do. He’s spending more time in his office recently, but that might be due to the stolen supplies.”  
“Stolen supplies?” She tilted her head.  
Josephine nodded. “Someone snuck into the storeroom a few nights ago, took a bunch of things. Tools mostly, but all of the chloroform and laudanum that we held is gone as well. Dr. Faulkner was raving all week, he’s got the police involved and everything.” 

“God, I hope they catch the scoundrels responsible.”  
“I do too. He’s made life at the hospital nearly unbearable.”  
“Nearly?” Eileen asked.  
“Well, there has to be some good in it. Otherwise, I would have left my cap at the door ages ago.” Josephine shrugged.  
“What if there was something better?”

“How’d you mean?” Josephine asked.  
“I’ve got a new job, they’ve asked me to bring on those that have experience with medicine. Those that I trust.”  
“Who are you working for? One of the private hospitals?”  
It was Eileen’s turn to look around, but the other patrons seemed preoccupied with their tasks and conversations to care about theirs.  
“It’s with the Rooks.”  
“The what!” Josephine’s cup clattered loudly against the saucer dish. Eileen shushed her and looked around again, thankfully no one was looking their way at the brunette's outburst.

“You’re working for a gang?” She whisper-shouted. “What are you doing for them? Fighting and harassing people on the street corner?”  
“No, no!” Eileen shook her head. She launched into the story of her week, about how her brother lost his arm and Dr. Faulkner firing her, ending with what had happened to Abel and her being hired. She left out the secret society part. Besides it not being her business to share, her friend was already worried about her joining a gang. Let alone a gang headed by people who assassinated others for a living. Josephine was looking worried by the end, downing her tea with fervor before addressing her. 

“Please forgive me Eileen, but what the Hell are you thinking?”  
“Dr. Faulkner fired me. This is my way of taking back some of the control. The hospitals are gateways to death, and I may not be a doctor, but I know enough to take care of patients. I want to help people, and this is the way that I can.”  
Josephine sighed. “I’m not your mother, so I cannot stop you…”  
“I’d like to see you try.” Eileen interrupted snarkily.  
“But _please_ be careful. These gang members are quite terrifying, I don’t want to see my best friend get hurt.” 

“You can help me.”  
“How?”  
“Join me!”  
“Eileen, I have a steady job. If I quit my job to join a gang, I fear my mother will die of a heart attack.”  
“I know, I won’t pressure you into this, I never wanted to hurt you.” Eileen reached across the table to grab her hand, her thumb bumping along the knuckles. “But look me in the eyes and say that the hospital would be better for you, for your family.” 

Josephine looked at her, but then to her lap. Every nurse knew the risk of the unsanitary hospitals, the constant fear of catching one of the illnesses or bringing it home to their families. Eileen lost count of how many nurses she had known in her short time that had fallen sick or had lost someone they love to those sicknesses.  
“I need you, Josie, please tell me that you’ll consider it?”  
Brown eyes like bottles sought out hers. Although they looked heavy with worry and dread, they weren’t scared anymore.  
“I will need time to think it over, but I will support you no matter what I decide.”  
“Thank you.” Eileen smiled.  
“I should head back, I’ve got the early morning shifts now that someone isn’t there to work them.” Josephine teased, back to her normal self now.  
Eileen flagged down the waiter, asking for their bill.

“Oh, your bills have been paid for already.” The waiter told her.  
“By whom?” Josephine asked.  
“I’m not allowed to say, but the gentleman did say that the best time to find Rooks is in Hyde Park at 10 am sharp.”  
It didn’t take a genius to figure out who had left the message for her, but she did briefly wonder how he knew that she was here. She hadn’t recognized anyone on the way in and they were surrounded by strangers. Perhaps he was a master of stealth, (although, that was probably a requirement as an assassin).  
“Thank you.” Eileen dug into her pocket and pulled out the few coins that would have paid for her drink, pushing them into the man’s hands. He nodded his thanks and went on his way.

“What was that bit about birds in Hyde Park?” Josephine asked as they exited the building.  
“Code talk, if I were to guess correctly.” Eileen couldn’t help but laugh. “If anything, you can at least thank a gang leader for your tea.”  
Josephine tried to look scandalized at the thought but ended up giggling alongside her.  
“If you change your mind by tomorrow, join me for a walk.”  
“I will let you know. Walk safely!” Josephine turned to walk towards the bridge, waving her off. 

Eileen pursed her lips as she walked back home, whistling a merry tune. The more that she could draw the best nurses away from Dr. Faulkner, the better. Even if it was just for the pettiness of it all, at least they wouldn’t have to suffer him anymore. 

~~~

That next morning, she met in the park at 10 am sharp, wearing her best dress and a can-do attitude. Miss Frye had met her at the entrance, Mr. Frye popping in out of seemingly nowhere a few minutes late. While pretending to feed the ducks in the pond, they discussed her salary and what duties she would perform for them. Eileen gave a number that had originally been low, but it was around the price of what nurses earned. Mr. Frye however was insistent on paying her a “fair price”, nearly double what she had been earning at the hospital. She had protested, really she did, but both twins were nonnegotiable about the salary. Something about honest work’s pay. Eileen wouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth but now considered buying them something very nice to show her thanks. 

Mr. Frye had been adamant that he rides back in the carriage while Miss Frye drove them to the hideout. He still called her Lee-Lee as they chatted about random things, but she refused to call him by his first name. It was past the point of formalities, as both of her bosses said that they were familiar enough now to permit it. Now, it was just her being stubborn. He knew it, judging by the way he looked at her, but he refused to back off the nickname. 

The next stop was their stronghold, where nearly a dozen of Rooks were lounging around playing cards or overlooking maps and strategizing. The Frye twins introduced her to all of them, remembering all of their names and faces. The only person she had recognized was Samuel, who hugged her tightly and thanked her for the opportunity to work alongside her. That night with Elijah had opened his eyes to surgery and medicinal work. He practically begged Miss Frye to let him transfer. 

Just as she was meeting the last Rook, the entire yard fell silent, the gazes on something entering their territory. Miss and Mr. Frye turned around, reaching for their belts instinctively. Instead of some nasty Blighter, a terrified Josephine stood in the entrance like a dandelion among the filth, looking moments away from fainting. It was encouraging to see her outside of the black garb she had been wearing for the past year. Even with her eyes as big as saucers, she walked in with her head held high, looking to Eileen for support. She met her friend halfway, holding her hands gently.

“I quit the hospital this morning. Is your offer still on the table?” She asked breathlessly.  
Eileen smiled, looping her arm through hers as she escorted her further in.  
“Courage my friend, they’re meaner than they look.” She patted her arm as the two approached the twin gang leaders. Thankfully, they were willing to add her to their roster, Josephine insisting on complete secrecy to protect her family. 

After introductions, (again), the hardest part began. Taking stock of the inventory and a general check up on the Rooks in the stronghold. Josephine offered to help her with the rounds while Samuel took note of what they had and what they needed. Miss Frye had to leave on important business but said that she would pop back in for a check-up and to see their supplies list. Mr. Frye was currently overlooking some plans and talking lowly with some of his leaders in the room over, they could occasionally hear a bit of laughter and jesting, giving some life to the otherwise quiet house.

Most of the men and women in the stronghold were as physically healthy as one could be, but nearly half had lice, and some had pink eye. Eileen and Josephine played barber, cutting away the gross and mite-infested hair from the heads, but many of the men needed to shave their heads or beards. She instructed one of the den leaders to clean out and throw away the infected bedding. There wasn’t much that could be done outside of a salve, telling them not to itch the inflamed skin, and not to share combs and hats. She also sent a message to Elijah with similar instructions for their own home, just in case.  
These kinds of afflictions were common among the poorer class, but Eileen was worried about the infection rate. Who knew how badly these kinds of things could have spread throughout London, especially with how close the gang members worked? Eileen would need to do a full check of the gang to gauge how bad it would be. It couldn’t be done in one day, so she would have to talk to Mr. Frye about making appointments for each of the districts.

Just as she was about to take a break, she heard the door open behind her. She turned around just in time to see a blur of a person slam into her, nearly bowling her over. She might have panicked had it not been for the arms around her waist or her seeing a familiar bandage around his small head.  
“Hi, Miss Eileen! Clara told me you’re a Rook now!” Abel exclaimed, looking up at her with a bright smile, several of his front teeth were missing.  
“Abel, it’s so nice to see you again!” She smiled down at him, rubbing the bit of hair that was peeking out from the bandages. Looking back up, she saw a young girl with dark braided hair standing in the doorway, a child holding each hand. She couldn’t have been older than thirteen.  
“You must be Clara, I’ve heard a lot about you,” Eileen said as the girl walked in, ushering for a group of children to follow her. There must have been more than a dozen kids with her, all scrappy and dirty. 

“That’s me. Miss Frye told me about you.” Clara said, very articulate for a young lady. “She told me that you have been helping out the urchins all over Whitechapel, that you’d be working alongside her now.”  
“I have, and I hope to eventually help all the kids in London. Are these kids in need of check-ups?”  
“Yes Ma’am, but these are only the ones with bad signs. I’ve got more who could use the help.”  
“That’s what we’re here for.” Eileen gestured to Samuel and Josephine, who had been setting up another table in the back. 

Clara helped to split up the kids between the two nurses, Samuel offered to set up a bath for the kids to wash up with, while another Rook offered to grab some bread and cheese. The kids lit up when they heard food being mentioned. Josephine immediately went into a motherly mode, listening attentively to each of the children and making them smile as she worked.   
Eileen motioned for Abel to go first in her group, she wanted to check on his wound before anything else.  
“Clara said we need to visit you to check on my ear. But I told her she’s wrong because you can’t check on something that isn’t there no more.” He said as he climbed onto the table.  
“I suppose you’re right about that.” Eileen laughed, carefully unwrapping the bandages. The few days since she had seen him hadn’t done too poorly on his wound, it was closing up and starting to scar over. He would come out ear-less, but no less harmed.  
“Well, it looks pretty good now, but make sure that you wash it with clean water when you get the chance, and be careful not to scratch your stitches.” Eileen didn’t wrap it again but directed him towards Samuel. She gestured for the next kid to approach, already feeling the ache in her feet.  


While the kids were lively and very loud, Eileen was more than happy to send them on their way with clean bodies and full bellies. Clara and Eileen discussed a day when she could bring more kids that she knew to have a check-up, thanking her profusely for her work.   
Josephine had to head home to her kids around dinner time and Samuel went off to find Miss Frye to give her their list, so Eileen was left to clean up the mess of their office. She took a moment to groan lowly, stretching her neck to ease up the aches she felt.

“So how was your first day?”  
Eileen was not proud of the noise that she made in response to the sudden voice. She folded her hands behind her and tried to school her expression for her boss, but the glint in Mr. Frye's eye told her that he heard her.  
“It was a good day, Mr. Frye, but quite long.”  
“How did everyone treat you?” He leaned against the doorframe. “I hope that my boys were on their best behavior.”

” I have no complaints.” There were a couple of men who tried to flirt with both her and Josephine, but they were near professionals at deflecting unwanted advancements from patients. At least they knew when to back down.  
“Nor do I, and I usually get one or two from those who had to visit the doctors in the past.” He pushed himself off the frame and walked into the room. “But I’m afraid your day isn’t quite done yet.”

“How’d you mean?”  
“You’ve still got one more patient.” Mr. Frye lifted himself onto the table, swinging his feet in the air. “I need a check-up, doctor.”  
“I’m not a doctor, Mr. Frye.” She corrected him but grabbed the tray of tools to begin her examination. “How are you feeling today?”  
“Been better, been worse.” He pulled his top hat off and laid it on the top of the table. 

“Any unusual pains or aches?”  
“Besides my sister being a pain in my ass? No, that normal.”  
Eileen rolled her eyes. “Open your mouth.”  
“What would you like me to say, Lee-Lee?”  
“Mr. Frye...”  
“If you insist.” He stuck out his tongue. Unamused, she gripped the hinge of his jaw until he opened wide enough for her to see his throat. 

“Mean.” He whined as he rubbed his jaw.  
“You weren’t listening. Even the urchins could follow simple directions.”  
“What can I say, I’m a child at heart.” He grinned at her, Eileen tried not to roll her eyes.  
Eileen looked at his pupils, in his ears, and his nose. She took the stethoscope and listened to his heart and his lungs, all the while he made harmless comments, usually just to chat about insignificant things, like her birthday or her favorite color. She occasionally indulged him on the silly questions, her bedside manner never lacking even with her energy dropping. When her back was turned to set the stuff down, she quietly scolded herself. Why was she letting him get to her? She prided herself at being indifferent towards advances from patients, but Mr. Frye got under her skin, and not in a bad way.

“Alright Mr. Frye, I just need to look at your head then you can be on your way.” Using the chair, she climbed up onto the table to get a better view of his scalp. Although he didn’t exhibit signs of any of the other ailments the Rooks had, she decided to get a little payback for scaring her earlier.  
“Oh dear,” Eileen muttered, trying to hide her smile. “Mr. Frye, when was the last time you were checked for lice?”  
His hands went to his hair, but she batted them away, schooling her expression when he looked up at her.  
“What? I don’t have lice.”  
“There are cases all over the stronghold, it might have just happened today.” She stepped down from the table, practically feeling the fear roll off Mr. Frye.

“I have lice!” Mr. Frye sounded panicked, holding his head.  
“Oh yes, loads of them. Your head is just crawling with the little critters.” She turned around to look among her tools, still struggling to hold back the laughter. “You’re lucky I caught it in time to stop the spread, but I’m afraid the damage is done.” She held up a pair of shears to him. “We’ll have to cut your hair.”  
“No.” His eyes went wide.  
“Oh yeah. I’m afraid that you’ll need to be as bald as Samuel now.” Her facade started to crack, fighting to not smile. 

Just as he started to despair, he saw her face, his hands slowly lowering to his lap. “What? Why are you laughing?”  
“I’m sorry.” No, she wasn’t, she thought as she started to laugh. Eileen set the scissors down, covering her laughter with her hand, but it kept bubbling out of her.  
“Do I have lice or not!?”

“No, Mr. Frye, you don’t. I was just messing with you.” Her subconscious caught up with her as she saw a strange look overcome his face. Perhaps she shouldn’t have played her new boss like a fool. Shit, she might lose her job over this, or worse, the respect he had for her. She was opening her mouth to apologize, to grovel for his forgiveness when he started cackling. He slapped his knee as he bayed, wagging a finger at her.  
“You had me for a moment, I’ll give you that.”  
“I think it was longer than a moment.” She laughed again, at ease knowing he wasn’t about to fire her. 

“Oh shit, that was good. I might have to steal that and use it on Evie.” He wiped his face, sighing as he calmed down.  
“I don’t think Miss Frye would forgive you as easily,” Eileen said quietly, starting to pack up. “Jokes aside, you’re probably the healthiest person in the den. Just take care, there have been cases of pink eye as well.”  
“I pride myself on being healthy,” Mr. Frye smiled at her before continuing. “I’ve hardly ever got sick as a kid.”

“Did you grow up well off then?” Eileen asked.  
“I suppose so. We never went hungry and always had a warm bed, but that was because of how we were raised.”  
“Have you been an assassin your entire life?” She tried not to be too curious, but she wanted to know more about his life. Plus, without Miss Frye here, she would probably get more answers from him.  
“Just about. Evie and I were trained from age of ten, but we weren’t officially inducted into the order until we turned eighteen. We used to do smaller-scale missions back in Crawley until we came to London.” 

“Huh.” Eileen hummed, clasping her bag closed. She tucked it away in a vanity cupboard and made sure the latch clicked. “I didn’t know you were from out of town. I’d’ve thought your order would want to be right here, especially if it’s where the Temple guys were.”  
“Templar,” He corrected her as she started to wash her hands. “No, we’re stationed all over the country, the bigger cities in Europe have more Templar influence than Assassin.” 

“Is it hard? Trying to fight against the other guys?” Eileen asked as she washed her hands. Miss Nightingale had always stressed cleanliness and washing when she was in her class.  
“I don’t know if "hard" is the right word.” Mr. Frye stood up from the table, spinning his top hat in his hand. “I mean, yes, at times it does feel impossible, like every time we fight off one thing or kill one foe, something else rises to take its place. But then I look around and see the good being done because of things that I did. People can walk at night without fear of the Blighters, or they can buy medicine that doesn’t make them sicker or go to work in places where they won’t be taken advantage of. I see my Rooks and I see my allies, and it helps me sleep better at night knowing I’m doing some good in this screwed up world.”

Eileen felt a small smile come over her face. Despite what she has heard and seen of Mr. Frye, he did have good intentions and he wanted to make life better for everyone. It struck a chord in her, warmth filling her chest.  
“As someone who lives in this screwed up world, I thank you for trying to make it better. Even if people never find out who helped them, I think they would also give their gratitude.” 

Perhaps it was the low lighting of the room or maybe her imagination, but she could have sworn to see Mr. Frye blush at her words.  
“We should get you home.” Mr. Frye cleared his throat and grabbed his top hat. “Even if the streets are safer now, I’d rather have you escorted.”  
“Can’t have the Rooks lose their nurse after only one day.” Eileen agreed, double-checking that everything was locked up tightly.  
“Right you are, Miss Lee-Lee.” He smirked when she gave him a look. 

He offered an arm to her when they had descended the stairs. The gesture was oddly intimate to her, but she looped her hand through and rested it on his forearm. They walked quite close to each other, sharing heat in the cool evening. To any passerby, they might look to be a couple. And as strange as it sounded, it wasn’t horrifying to her.  
Mr. Frye hadn’t noticed her small dilemma, looking down at with a bright smile. “Now, if we want to talk about pranks, let me tell you about the time I chopped off her ponytail because she ratted me out…”


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay in uploads, my motivation is slowly being crushed by graduate school, BUT I hope this absolute beast of a chapter will make up for it :)
> 
> Enjoy some angsty/fluffy feels!

~~~

The air was crisp at the beginning of the fall. The few trees in the city were ablaze with gold and brown leaves, scattered across the cobblestones. When Eileen was a little girl, Elijah and she would have competitions on who could step on the most leaves before Mother noticed and scolded them. The crunchier the leaf the better. It was small memories that weren’t awful that she liked to dwell on when the weather turned cold. 

Eileen wrapped up her shoulders with a wool shawl, making sure her appearance was up to standard before leaving the house. She had an image to uphold in her community, but it wasn’t one of wealth or status. The Rooks on the street recognized her, even though it had hardly been two months since she started working and she still had yet to have a thorough check-up with every member. They would come to her at the stronghold, occasionally if there was an emergency she would take them into her home to save them a trip to the hospital. Some of them insisted on paying her for her services, but she always refused. Now and then, she and Elijah would come home to a basket of sweets or fruits, a small token of thanks from the men and women she helped.

Speaking of paying, the Morris twins found themselves flushed with more cash than they knew what to do with. Although most of their earnings went towards food and paying rent, the twins occasionally used their wages to buy something nice for themselves. This week was two pairs of wool socks and a new green greatcoat for Elijah, while Eileen bought a new dress and shawl for the approaching winter months. Unwilling to hoard nice clothing, Eileen brought some of her old dresses and some gloves down to the women at the laundresses. Her hand-me-downs were better than their outfits, it would help them keep warm as they worked. 

Eileen walked, even with the stiff wind that promised a rainstorm. She wanted to drop off Elijah’s lunch at the shop before the weather got too bad, and knowing him, he’d rather go hungry than admit that he forgot his food. As she strolled, she heard a few greetings thrown her way, she responded hesitantly but as warmly as possible. She wasn’t used to the attention, Elijah had always been the outgoing of the pair. Somehow he managed to remember people’s names, their families, and even ask them about some event happening in their lives. Maybe it was because he held all of that knowledge that he had the common sense of a doornail. 

The Curiosity Shop was a smaller shop than the others on the block, but it was always warm and smelled like spices and worn books. The items were off the bookshelves odd, to say the least, there were books in different languages and novelties from far away countries, even a few animals mounted and stuffed to look life-like. Eileen had only visited twice before, once to see her brother and a second time to deliver a message to Mr. Green. The shop owner seemed nice enough, he also wore similar robes to the Frye twins, but no gauntlet. He was more than kind to Elijah by allowing him to work and act like a normal person, encouraging him as he learned how to do things like write and grab things with his non-dominant hand. 

Eileen parted the curtain, finding both her brother and Mr. Green settled by the desk engrossed in a conversation. She froze as both men turned towards her, at least they didn’t look upset by her interruption. 

“Sorry, I should have knocked,” Eileen said, letting the curtain drop.  
“Nah, it's alright. We’re only having a chat during a lull.” Elijah waved it off. “What are you doing here?”  
“Somebody forgot their lunch.” She held up the tin.  
“Oh damn, you should have been here an hour ago. Mr. Green made some curry, and no offense, but it’s one thousand times better than your baked fish.”  
“Oh.” So she walked all this way for nothing? 

“The pot is still on. You’re more than welcome to try some.” Mr. Green offered.  
“Oh, thank you, but I already ate.” Eileen shook her head.  
Elijah snorted. “Be careful offering food up to this one, she’s picky. She finds too much pepper to be spicy. If she tried a bite, she might explode.”  
Eileen pursed her lips, but she couldn’t find a comeback for that statement. As much as she wanted to expand her palate, she had tried foreign dishes before and had to grovel through it. She would eat it to be polite, but her body would send it’s regards hours later. 

“Perhaps it may have been the chef.” Mr. Green suggested. “Although, Jacob does complain about how hot the food I make is, so it might be a preference thing.”  
“I’ll tell you what. One night in the future, we can have dinner together. You bring a dish and I’ll make haggis. A little bit of a cultural awareness night.”  
“That sounds like a wonderful idea.” Mr. Green said with a smile.  
“Oh yes, sign me up!” Elijah exclaimed. “That’s the only thing that you can make decently.”  
Eileen flicked her middle finger at him as the door opened. She hurriedly put it away and tucked her hands behind her back. Her face grew hot when she realized who had just walked in.

“What did you do to piss her off?” Mr. Frye asked, letting the door behind him slam.  
“I’ve don’t nothing wrong, sir,” Elijah said feigning innocence. “She’s just angry because she cannot cook.”  
“Well, if you insist, I suppose you can find your supper tonight.”  
“Wait, no. I didn’t mean it.” Elijah tried to cover his mistake, but Eileen had already turned to her boss. 

“Just the woman I was looking for. I stopped by your place, but I must have just missed you.” Mr. Frye said. “I’ve got a job for you.”  
“What do you need?” Eileen had been working nearly every day this past month, starting early in the mornings and working until the moon was in the sky. She loved what she was doing and she knew that she was making an impact, but today was her day off, what could she possibly be needed for?  
“We’ve got a challenge from Westminster’s gang leader. It’s the final borough the is dominated by the Blighters, so it’ll be a nasty fight. We’ll need our nurses to patch up any wounded Rooks.”

The last time there had been a gang war was during one of her visits with Clara, it was small enough that they didn’t need all three of them. It must have been pretty important to need all of them.  
“Of course. When would you need me?”  
“In ten minutes.”  
“Seriously?” Her jaw dropped, looking at her pocket watch. It took that long just to find a carriage, especially at this time of the day, how were they supposed to make it across the city in time, especially without any of her supplies or support?  
“Samuel is grabbing your things now and Josephine is already on her way. I told them I’d swing by and grab you, but we should leave now.”

“Right then, off we go.” Eileen waved goodbye to her brother and Mr. Green, picking up her skirts as she walked out of the store. The dark green growler was already waiting for them, Mr. Frye pulling himself up into the driver’s seat, he offered a hand to her.  
“I think we’re going to be late.”  
“Not on my watch, I’ll get us there with time.” Mr. Frye gripped the reins tightly and snapped the straps. “Best hold on tight.”

Mr. Frye was a lunatic behind the reins, weaving in and out of traffic, having a couple of close calls with pedestrians and lamp posts. The streets of London blurred by as they made their way across the city. He seemed to enjoy the rush as they buzzed by the other carriages, but Eileen was thankful for her stomach of steel, she gripped the seat under her and grit her teeth.  
_"Don't fall off, don’t fall off, don’t fall off."_ The mantra kept playing in her head. Now she knew why Miss Frye preferred to drive. By the time they rolled up to the alleyway, there was still two minutes to spare. Miss Frye and a couple of the Rooks were waiting for them alongside a finely dressed man. Mr. Frye slid down first, once again offering a hand to help her down. Eileen tried to ignore the tremor in her hands as she stepped down.

“Remind me to find a different driver on the way back.” Eileen teased, trying to smooth back her hair.  
“You wound me, Lee-Lee. My driving is perfectly fine. We arrived in one piece, did we not?” He protested, hand on his chest.  
“Perfectly fine if you have a death wish.” Miss Frye spoke up, motioning for her brother to follow her. 

Mr. Frye turned towards her, still gripping Eileen’s hand in his own.  
“I’ll see you on the other side, Miss Morris.” Raising her hand to his lips, he left a lingering kiss to her knuckles. Dropping her hand with a wink, he sauntered off after his sister and the upper-class man, neither of whom had seen their interaction. Eileen was not one to blush and giggle when a man paid her attention, like the other girls she had seen at all of those coming out balls, but this felt different. She felt warm from her cheeks to her chest, and her stomach felt like it was filled with butterflies. Looking in the carriage window, Eileen pinched her cheeks to try to hide the color in her face, adjusting her braided updo again. 

“Looks like somebody’s flustered.” Josephine’s face appeared in the window beside her. Eileen startled and turned around. Samuel was a couple of paces away, holding the satchel of medical supplies and tools. Josephine had a knowing look on her face as she crossed the distance between them.  
“So, are you going to tell me who has spooked Eileen _’Stomach of Steel’_ Morris?” She asked.  
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Eileen shook her head, taking the supplies from Samuel as they walked down the alley.  
“Really? So that has nothing to do with a certain top hat-wearing gang leader who has been walking you home every night for two months? The same man who would probably pitch himself from Big Ben if you asked him to?”  
“No, it does not. If anything, it was from fear of death at his driving skills. You should have seen the way he tore through London.”  
Josephine did not look convinced. “Eileen, I’ve been married to the love of my life. I know how people act when they’re in love.” 

Samuel tensed up in front of her at that statement, but he kept his eyes forwards. Eileen couldn't blame him. Her two comrades have been exchanging pleasantries for nearly three weeks now, and she saw the shy looks that Samuel sent Josephine's way like she had hung the moon and the stars in the sky. He also had been leaving small gifts for her. Josephine had either been oblivious to these signs or was ignoring them. One night after she had gone home, Samuel, who had been drinking with some of the other Rooks, admitted to Eileen that he had feelings for the dark-haired nurse. But he was a gentleman, despite being in a gang, and he wouldn’t make the move without talking to her first. That talk hadn’t happened yet if his guarded demeanor was anything to go by.

“Come on now, let’s not make every conversation we have about boys and supposed feelings.” Eileen changed the topic before it could venture very far. “Samuel, why don’t you tell me what to expect?”  
“Oh, this is your first one?” Samuel turned around, regaining his composure rather quickly. “Well, you’re in for a treat. It usually starts with some jeering and derogatory language about one’s mother. But after the first gunshot is when it gets messy. All weapons are allowed, so it can get really bad. The past few fights we’ve won, but this is the hardest district yet. Lila Graves is one of Starrick’s top gang leaders remaining. They call her the Bludger.”  
“How is the outlook?” Eileen asked.  
“I think we’ll take this borough by nightfall. If this goes well, all of London will be under Rook control.”

“I guess that means tonight should be an exciting night.” Usually, gang celebration nights ended with someone in her office puking their guts out and a flooded office the next day of men and women begging for painkillers.  
“People attend these gang wars?” Eileen asked, looking around at the crowded street, common folk roaming around chatting aimlessly. Carriages and barriers blocked off a good portion of the street, the gangs separated into their corners, casting nasty looks and gestures towards the other side.  
“Yeah, it’s entertaining for some folks, watching us beat the shit out of each other,” Samuel said brightly.

“I guess someone has to find entertainment in this.” Josephine shrugged, looking mildly disgusted.  
“It is odd to find some sort of amusement from people killing each other,” Eileen said. “I mean, even outside of this, people used to watch Roman gladiators pummel each other, or watch jousting tournament between knights. I wonder why humans find unnecessary violence amusing?”  
“I don’t know. But I don’t think they’re here for the fight.” Josephine nodded at a group of girls near them waving coyly at some of the Rooks, some of them were outright trying to flirt with them. These weren’t the lower-class girls from Whitechapel, these would have been upper-class girls that she might have run with back when she was their age. Probably out for some careless fun before they had to settle down for real, as their families would never allow them to pursue a man or woman of lower status.

“Little harlots.” Josephine rolled her eyes.  
“What, no Rook has caught your attention yet?” Eileen looked out of the corner of her eye to see Samuel look their way, apprehension in his eyes.  
Josephine was quiet for a moment.  
“Maybe one has, but I won’t admit my feelings until you admit yours.” She shook off the odd look on her face, sticking out her tongue at her.  
Eileen sighed, “Fine, be that way.”

A carriage at the far side of the barrier opened up, Mr and Miss Frye sliding smoothly out and onto the pavement. Cheers and jeers called out from gang members and citizens alike. Mr. Frye’s eyes found them and he tipped his hat towards them. Eileen schooled her expression before Josephine could comment.  
A brute of a woman dressed in all black climbed to the top of a carriage, holding another woman dressed in green by her gaping mouth. The woman in black cooed at the helpless Rook before twisting her arm. The Rook fell lifelessly to the ground, neck broken. Eileen and Josephine gasped, Josephine made the sign of the cross. 

“Westminster is ours!” Mr. Frye roared, while Miss Frye took a shot at the district leader, leading the charge forwards.  
Samuel was completely right, it was very messy. Eileen had chosen the wrong day to wear her new dress, she mused as she watched the blood and guts fly, the air became heavy with gunpowder and blood. Samuel had a neutral look on his face as if he was watching ducks swim around the pond. Josephine looked deathly pale, holding onto both Eileen and Samuel for support, and even Eileen felt a pang of horror go through her. They were nurses, they were there for the aftermath of these horrors, not usually for the during. Eileen took a deep breath and gripped Josephine’s hand tightly in her own. This is what she signed up for when she took this job, now she would have to do her duty. 

Eileen focused in on the Frye twins, watching as they worked in tandem against their enemy. For all of the time they spent fighting and bickering, they worked quite well together. Steel flashed in the pale light, guns firing and hitting true, Miss Frye even used a smoke bomb at one point when a man much bigger than she was tried to tackle her. They moved so fluidly, taking down opponents with very little effort. This kind of fighting wasn’t something they learned on the streets, much more refined and graceful, unlike anything she had seen before. It wasn’t even fair to their enemies, they had no chance. The fight couldn’t have been longer than 10 minutes, Miss Frye officially gave the killing blow to the Bludger. The remaining Blighters, seeing that their leader was dead, were quick to surrender. Mr. Frye helped Miss Frye to the top of their carriage, standing proudly above the rest of them. 

“We are Evie and Jacob Frye.” Miss Frye called loudly, eyes bright with adrenaline. “And as of this moment, you all work for us. Join our ranks, we welcome all of those who would stand up against Starrick and his cutthroats.” Eileen spotted a couple of the Blighters slowly nod along, taking off the gaudy red coats. A couple of Rooks motioned for them to follow, giving out new uniforms. Miss Frye jumped down to help them while Mr. Frye was meeting with the upper-class man, exchanging pleasantries, and a wad of cash. 

Eileen and her crew ducked under the barriers, entering the arena.  
“Alright, you two take one side, I’ll take the other. The priority is critically injured, we’ll take care of them here. The others can meet us at the closest stronghold. We’ll have the other Rooks help bring the dead back once we have everyone accounted for.” Both nurses nodded and went to one side. Eileen took the side with the least amount of Rooks. There were so many bodies lying motionless, she took a moment to shut their eyes. Even the Blighters, although they had been the enemy, she thought they deserved respect in death. 

One of the Blighters was still conscious, struggling to breathe around the knife wound in his chest.  
“It’s alright, love.” She knelt beside him. With how much he was bleeding, he wouldn’t last much longer. “You fought well, you’re allowed to rest.” The man looked at her, brows furrowed as he sputtered, blood and spittle coming out with each breath. Yes, she was from the Rooks trying to console an enemy gang member as they died, it was just as odd as it sounded. He kept trying to speak, a weak hand grabbing her arm. 

“Help me...help me!” He strangled out.  
“Of course.” She nodded, even if she couldn’t save him, she would do what was needed so he could pass somewhat peacefully. Just as she was turning her head to call for one of the others, a searing pain tore up the side of her face. She cried out as he lunged for her, she barely deflected the knife. It clattered to the ground, but he wasn’t done yet, pinning her to the ground by her throat. He sneered over her, blood and mud from his clothing dripping all over her. 

A loud gunshot rang out in the street. Eileen took a deep breath as the grip lessened and rolled out of the way. The Blighter, now with a hole in his head collapsed to the ground. Another shot rang out, and another. Again and again, until the gun in Mr. Frye’s hand clicked empty. Footsteps hurried over to her, Samuel and Josephine’s voices pitched with worry. Josephine grabbed her face and shoved a bandage against the knife wound despite Eileen’s hissing. 

“What the hell were you doing?” Mr. Frye snapped, angrily shoving his gun into his belt as he stalked towards her.  
“I was doing my job!” Eileen said, pushing Josephine away so she could talk properly, ignoring the stinging pain as the cut started to bleed again.  
“Your job is to help the Rooks, not our enemy.”  
“Says the man who just gave the remaining Blighters a new position.”  
“Not the ones actively trying to kill us!”  
“He asked me to help him. I will not turn down a cry for help, no matter what color their jackets are! And what the hell was all that about? The man was dead from the first shot, you didn’t need to waste an entire chamber on a corpse.”

“I don’t think you properly noticed, but he did try to kill you.” Mr. Frye gestured to the dead body and her face.  
“I can handle myself just fine without your male posturing.” Eileen defended.  
“Oh yeah, you had it completely under control. Sorry that I just saved your life, it won’t happen again.” Mr. Frye spat, turning away from them and storming off. He made it past the barriers before pointing his arm at the sky and engaging his rope launcher. He was up the wall and over the rooftop in moments. 

Eileen threw up her hands in anger. Ignoring the throbbing pain in her face, she pushed past the others.  
“Come on, we’ve got work to do.” 

~~~

It was a long day after that fight. Eileen and the other nurses were elbow-deep in helping out the Rooks that had been hurt. Thankfully they didn’t lose anyone between the street and the stronghold, and most of the Rooks were stable enough that they didn’t need a constant vigil. Samuel offered to stay at the stronghold in case they needed anything. 

Eileen was chewed out thoroughly by Miss Frye, Josephine, and then by Elijah when he came home to find his sister’s wounded face. At least Josephine had been somewhat understanding as she bandaged up the wound. It was long, curving from her jawline, up her cheek, and splitting the end of her eyebrow. She was relieved that it just missed her eye. The other nurse gave her some cream that would help with the scarring, but this would leave a lasting mark. With all of that, plus finding her new dress to be completely ruined by the blood and mud, it had been a pretty shitty day. 

She sat up in her room, in an armchair by the fire with a hemming project, taking out her remaining frustrations on one of Elijah's shirtsleeves. Eileen knew deep down that what she had done today was reckless, (and not just because everyone was telling her that it was), but she stood by her actions. Her job may have been with the Rooks, but there was always a part of her that needed to do more. There were too many hurting people out there for her to ignore. It’s why she helped Clara and her urchins, why she was trying to take people away from the hospital’s horrible environment. She needed to feel needed, and she could never stand by while innocent people were suffering. 

She wasn’t angry at the others for trying to help her, and she did feel bad for yelling at Mr. Frye, especially when he did save her life. But she refused to go to him first. He would probably approach her tomorrow with those big sad eyes and that dumb nickname and apologize. Of course, she would forgive him, because she was a sucker and couldn’t help herself. But he had to do it first.

The large thump against the window startled the daylights out of her, ripping through a handful of seams in her project. Eileen rolled over to the side, grabbing a fire poker and stood up.  
“I warn ya, I’m armed!” She called out. It was a bit ridiculous, especially if what she was shouting at was just a bird that had flown into the window, but better safe than sorry. There was another thump, and she could just make out an arm as the hand pushed the glass up until the pane raised high enough for a person to slide through. The figure rolled in and landed with a thud on the floor, flopping out long limbs as they stared up at the ceiling. Eileen raised her weapon but stopped short. 

“I’m glad you’re armed. I’m going to need at least two to help me out.” Mr. Frye groaned out. Of course, she hardly recognized him, sans hat, and covered in what looked like soot. He looked like a chimney sweep gone wrong, clutching his arm and panting for air.  
“What happened?” Eileen demanded, setting the fire poker down and helping him to stand, feeling how much he was trembling. 

“Just… a mission that went wrong.” He gasped as she sat him down in her empty chair. It must have been his assassin business then, usually, he’d be halfway through a story by now if it was gang-related. “I nicked my arm pretty badly on my escape.” She could see the blood dripping off his coat, scattered drops landing on the floorboards.  
“It’s alright, I’ve got some of my stuff downstairs.”  
“Is Elijah here?”  
“No, he went out with Theodore to a Molly House show, he won’t be back until tomorrow.”  
“Good, I don’t need the others to see me like this, or worse, tell my sister what I’ve been up to.” Mr. Frye groaned, coughing lightly as he tried to catch his breath.  
“Here,” Eileen handed him a water pitcher filled with water that she kept on hand. “I’ll be back with my stuff. Try not to move, I can’t tell how badly you’re hurt.”  
“Don’t worry, I'm not going anywhere.” He took the entire pitcher and started chugging. Pointedly ignoring the noises he was making, she exited the room.

When she returned with her supplies and a wet rag to wipe away the soot, Mr. Frye had shucked off his heavy leather coat and waistcoat, working on his bloodied and torn shirt. Eileen could see how badly he was shaking, gritting his teeth to get it under control. She purposefully made her steps heavier as she entered.  
He grimaced at her as he gave up on removing the shirt, yanking his sleeve on his injured arm up enough so she could work. 

“Do you have anything heavy?”  
She nodded, fishing for a syringe of laudanum. He tried to nab it from her but she held it out of his reach, lightly slapping his hand away.  
“I’m not about to give you something sharp that you’re going to stick willy nilly. Let me.”  
Mr. Frye sighed heavily and sat back, offering his uninjured arm to her.  
After properly injecting him, she got to work on wiping him down. He took the bottle of absinthe that she was going to use to clean up the wounds with, downing nearly half the bottle in one swig. Taking care she washed away the soot and ash on his skin.

“I know you can’t tell me what happened, but I should know something, mostly just so I know what I’m dealing with.”  
“There was a building fire. I got caught in the middle of it.”  
“What were you doing in a burning building?”  
“It wasn’t burning when I got there.” He tried to play it off with a chuckle but sobered up when he saw she wasn't laughing. “I had a target and it was a fairly straight forward mission, but he had decoys, then he went and set the whole sodding building on fire with everyone inside.”  
“My Lord,” Eileen said softly.  
“They all got out, I made sure I was the last one.” 

“That must have been terrifying, I’m glad that you got out okay.” Eileen looked at his arm. It wasn’t deep enough for stitches, so she could just wrap it and call it good, but the burns on his hands and neck would need some care. He grunted as she cleaned the wound, closing his eyes as he took a long drink.  
Eileen took a moment to work quietly, glancing up at him every once in a while. She had never seen him so venerable before, no wonder he didn’t want his Rooks to see him like this. Anxiety pooled in her chest, hot and uncomfortable the longer it idled. Usually, she could sit in the quiet, most times she begged for quiet, but this felt charged with something she couldn’t explain. She needed to break the silence.

“I’m sorry about earlier today,” Eileen looked up when he spoke, tying the knot at the end of the bandage. “I shouldn’t have yelled, that wasn’t fair to you.”  
“I yelled right back. Not exactly the most professional of me.”  
A small chuckle rose from his chest, shaking his head.  
“Honestly, compared to the rest of my day, it was a highlight.” Mr. Frye shrugged, wincing as he jarred his burnt shoulder, helping her to ease the material off.  
She noticed a tattoo in his chest where the shirt was opened, blushing when she was caught trying to take a closer look at the bird. Eileen wasn't a complete blushing virgin, she had seen half-naked men before, (in fact, she had seen several completely naked men many times), but something about this felt scandalous. Her boss, clothing was strewn about the room, looking disheveled in so many ways. It felt like a scene out of one of those adult novels that Josephine had recommended her.  
_'Nope, we are NOT thinking about those kinds of things now.'_ She stopped that train of thought before it could form fully, biting her lip as she worked on helping Mr. Frye. 

“But you must admit, it’s a bit hypocritical.” Eileen moved from his arm to his shoulder, rubbing a cream that Samuel had found for her a couple of weeks ago to help with burns. “Telling me not to be reckless, but then you get caught up in your foolishness.”  
Mr. Frye was silent for a bit, Eileen mentally kicked herself for putting her foot in her mouth.  
“I’m sorry sir, that was out of line.”  
“I mean, you’re not wrong. I’m the one who doesn’t think things through before I act. I’ll probably cause my loved ones to go grey early. If I have any left at the end of this.” Mr. Frye’s eyes were starting to become glassy as the drugs kicking in. “Maybe that’s why Roth liked me.”

“Who’s Roth?” Eileen didn’t remember Mr. Frye bringing up that particular ally before.  
“Maxwell Roth is…was the leader of the Blighters. He sought me out a few weeks back, wanted to stick it to Starrick. Heh, stick it to Starrick.” He chuckled. “We got up to a lot of mayhem the few times we met up, I felt like I was making some headway with eliminating some of Starrick’s top men. But then he had to go and fuck it up.” Mr. Frye pushed himself to stand, staggering but righting himself in the end, Eileen reaching for him. He should not be standing with the number of drugs and alcohol in his system now. He could keel over at any moment, and the last thing he needed was a concussion.

“Roth tried to blow up a goddamned orphanage today. Kids and all. Says that they deserved it. I tried to clean up my mess, kill him as I should have weeks ago, but then he goes and puts the entire theater in danger.”  
“Mr. Frye, we should sit you down.” Eileen tried to grab his arm, but he was still very agile while drugged, pacing across the floor.  
“Then, the bastard dares to bring feelings into this!” Mr. Frye spat out. “He fucking kissed me just before he died.”  
“He kissed you?” Eileen repeated back dumbly. That wasn’t a move that one would expect from the enemy.  
“That’s not the worst part. I’ve got nothing about kissing blokes, I’ve kissed a several, including your brother.” (Put that information in **Things She Did Not Want To Know About Her Brother** drawer to be processed later).

“I know Mr. Frye, but we should sit you down, please?” Eileen watched warily as he stumbled in his stride.  
“The worst part is that I feel like I deserve this. Ever since coming to London, I've managed to screw things to hell. Evie can hardly be around me without scolding me or to fix my mistakes. So of course the only person in the world who would want to kiss me is completely off the rails. Am I so much of a fuck-up that I can’t receive any kind of love? Everyone in my life just tolerates me, maybe it’s because I am not worth it.”  
“Jacob!” Eileen snatched his uninjured wrist, pulling him to a stop in front of the fireplace. The shadows danced across his face, his eyes hazy and half-lidded as he looked down at her. "You’re bleeding again.”

He looked down, the bandages half torn off his arm as he had picked the barely-healed scabs, fresh blood running down his arm.  
“Come here.” Eileen led him to her bed, luckily he was much more docile than before, looking distant and glassy-eyed as she helped him sit down on the white sheets.  
“You don’t have to do this, I can take care of myself,” Jacob said softly, watching as she unwrapped his soiled bandages and pulled out a new roll of gauze and tape.  
“Well, this is the job you pay me for. What’s the point of having a nurse if you never use her?” Eileen said wirily, using a thicker wrap this time around, now that she knew he was a scratcher. “It’s my job to take care of these things.”

“Even when your boss is a disaster?” He asked quietly.  
“Especially when the boss is a disaster.” She laughed, looking up at his as she gently tied the knot again. “You’re allowed to seek out help Jacob, there is no shame in it.” Eileen wanted to say more, to reassure him that he wasn’t a burden to those who loved him, that he held so much worth in life and that he was destined to get past this low, but his eyes were drooping shut, head nodding.

“C’mon, time for sleep.” Eileen helped to maneuver Jacob on her bed, grimacing as the sheets turned a gross grey color from the residual ash on his clothes. He curled up on his side as she drew a quilt over his shoulders, prying his boots off and tucking him in. His mouth opened as he looked up at her, trying to form the right words to say.  
“Sleep now.” Eileen shushed him as she dimmed the lamps. “We’ll talk more in the morning.”

“Thank you, Eileen.” Jacob murmured as his eyes finally drifted closed, muttering incoherently as he drifted off. She watched as he started to breathe slowly, burrowing into the blankets as she pushed the greasy hair out of his face. Realizing the inappropriateness of it, she pulled back, grabbing the oil lamp, and tidied up the room again. She left out a pot of cream and a note of instructions in case he woke up and left before she noticed. Once the fire was burning low, she felt comfortable enough to leave. Casting a longing look behind her at the man in her bed, she felt her heart pang, warmth spreading through her again. 

Oh…  
Oh no…


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a roller coaster of emotions. The plot hit and it hits hard in this chapter, so be ready, because we’re approaching the climax. Thank you for all of the kudos and comments, even though I don’t respond to the comments, (something I’m trying to get better at), I read and appreciate every single one. 
> 
> Happy reading!

~~~

Mr. Frye had left in the wee hours of the morning, taking the note and the cream with him. The only proof that he had been there that night was the dark stains on the sheets and the open window.  
Neither one of them brought up that night or anything that was said between them, but Eileen did notice a change in Mr. Frye. 

It was small at first, Eileen hardly noticed the lingering touches on her arm or back when he would escort her home after a long night, or when he asked about her day while she worked and he seemed interested. Then it became more noticeable. He was constantly on her table, usually with some sort of ailment or other. If she had a shilling for every time he complained about stomach pain or asking her to look at a wound that was manageable, she’d rival any of those living in Piccadilly Square. There were also occasional small gifts. Books about medicine and sweets that she had mentioned wanting during her monthly bleeding. It was sweet, smiling when she knew no one was looking, knowing exactly who had left them for her.

Then there was the biggest sign of him nearly kissing her.

Several days after their run-in, all of the Rooks were out celebrating a massive victory. Mr and Miss Frye had successfully taken Crawford Starrick down and freed London from the Templars. It was a cause for jubilation and partying. They had asked her to join them, and she said she would after finishing the paperwork and finances for the month. It had taken her much longer than usual, which was fine by her. She detested parties, even the informal kind, and she only drank when necessary. 

She had gotten the message from an Urchin that her brother needed help getting home. The party was just winding down as she arrived in the early hours of the morning, only a handful of Rooks, her brother, and Theodore remaining. Elijah noticed her right away, shouting for her across the room. He staggered but was able to make it to her, giving her a heavy hug. He was extra affectionate when he was drunk- nuzzling and telling her how much he loved her as she wrangled him and Theodore into the Growler. 

Eileen turned around, just to smack right into a familiar leather-clad chest. The stench of ale and other bitters flooded her senses, just barely overriding the familiar smell of gunpowder and sandalwood. She looked up, Mr. Frye looming over her. He must have been as plastered as Elijah was, judging by how heavily he was relying on his hand and the smell of ale and other bitters coming off him. His top hat was nowhere to be seen, hair mused and tousled in a way that was quite handsome.

“We missed you tonight.” He spoke lowly.  
“Someone had to keep up with the paperwork.” She said, trying to ignore how close he was and the effect it was having on her.  
His other hand slapped down beside her head, trapping her against the carriage. He chuckled when he saw her jump, his smirk growing into a lazy smile as one finger gently traced the barely healed scar on her face. She had been lucky that it had shrunk, only a thin, 3cm white scar on her cheek. Her breath hitched at his touch, face growing impossibly warm. Mr. Frye leaned in close, his breath hot on her neck as he spoke, just barely above a growl.  
“Correction, I missed you tonight. You should join us next time. I guarantee that I can show you a Hell of a night.” The rough brush of his stubble against her cheek was the only warning she had before his lips descended across her unmarked cheek.

“Mr. Frye-” Eileen trailed off when his lips met a spot just under her ear. Lord, give her strength to not moan like some back-alleyway harlot.  
“Nah, come on now. I know you can say my name.” He pulled back just far enough to talk, his lips hovering over her own. The hand that had been tracing her scar slid to her chin, hooking one finger under to tilt her face up. Their eyes met and she struggled not to melt at the heat of his gaze.  
“Say it.”

“Jacob!”  
The rush of cold air was a shock after how much heat had radiated off of Mr. Frye, leaving her gasping. Mr. Frye stumbled back, nearly falling on his ass. Eileen’s face was burning as she covered her mouth with her hand, trying to hide her embarrassment (or was it attraction?).  
“Eileen, I am so sorry about my nuisance of a brother.” Miss Frye said breathlessly, holding him back but the collar of his coat, like one, would hold a wild dog back. “I had turned my back for one second…I hope he wasn’t untoward with you?”

Either Miss Frye could not see her reaction or have assumed it was out of the shock and unease of his forwardness.  
“I-It’s alright Miss Frye, thank you.” Eileen pointedly avoided Mr. Frye’s eyes. “Have a good night.” She climbed into the carriage and rapped on the window for the driver to start moving. She closed her eyes and leaned her head against the seat, trying to control the flush on her face.

“He likes you, he likes you, he really really really likes you.”  
Had her brother not been intoxicated, she would have kicked him out of the carriage. Theodore grimaced at her in pity before dragging Elijah into a heated kiss. As much as she hated watching two people make out with each other, it at least got her mind off of a certain gang leader. Hopefully, she could crawl into bed and no one would remember anything from this night.

Luck was not in her favor, she thought crossly when she walked into the office the next morning and came face to face with a bruised Mr. Frye holding an ice pack to his face. Samuel and a couple of other Rooks stood off to the side, chatting among themselves. 

“What happened here?” Eileen asked as she took off her coat. Samuel turned to her chuckling  
“Well, you see. Mr. Frye decided to keep the party going into the morning. From what he told us, he was trying to follow up on some lead while he was still pissed. Ran face-first into a building if his mumbling is anything to go by.”  
“‘Om a ‘econ ‘ory ‘indo.” Mr. Frye mumbled around the pack.  
“You fell from a second-story window?” Eileen remarked once her brain filled in the missing words.

Mr. Frye slid the pack off of his face, revealing a bruised eye and cheek.  
“No, I fell from an eight-story building, but the second-floor window broke my fall.”  
“Pardon my french, but Jesus Christ, Mr. Frye!” Eileen snapped her fingers for Samuel to find her smock. He tossed it to her. “You’re lucky that you only got a couple of bruises and a black eye from a fall like that.”  
“Boss said he lost a tooth on the way down.” A Rook spoke up.  
“I’ve got it right here.” The other waved it in her face, a white molar in their hand. It was one of the back teeth, fortunately for him.

“Well, looks like you won’t be smiling too widely for a bit Mr. Frye.” She shook her head, handing the tooth back to its owner. “But at least you won’t be driving any of the ladies away with a gap-tooth smile.”  
Mr. Frye spat blood into a handkerchief, shooting a small grin her way.  
“That’s alright, I don’t think the lady on my mind will mind.”  
Eileen rolled her eyes, trying not to becoming the blushing mess she had been last night. She’s surprised to see him so coherent today after seeing him last night, how did he remember?

“Pull any more reckless stunts like that and she just might mind.” Eileen rolled her eyes. “How is your head feeling?”  
“Like I just smacked it against brick and glass.” He groaned.  
“And ringing in the ears? Headache? Nausea or vomiting?”  
“Yeah, but it’s fine. It’s nothing I haven’t dealt with before.”  
“No, it’s not,” Eileen said. “Take the bed in the backroom, rest up for a few hours, then we’ll see how you’re doing.”

“But I’ ve-“  
“No buts about it, nurse’s orders.” Eileen pointed to the door.  
“Yes ma’am.” He gave a half-hearted salute, sliding off the table and walking to the back room. She waited until he shut the door before she spoke again.

“Send a message to Miss Frye, tell her whatever mission that he was supposed to do today needs to be postponed or reassigned, or however they structure their missions,” Eileen said softly to one of the Rooks.  
“Mr. Frye won’t be pleased about that,” Samuel said.  
“Well, Mr. Frye can get over it. I will not have him doing something reckless while injured.” She shook her head. “Josephine said she can’t come in because Michael is sick, so we’ve got lots to do today.”

With everyone busy with their work, the morning seemed to fly by, before she knew it, Eileen was eating lunch. She decided to eat outside with the other Rooks for a change, trying to enjoy what was probably the last nice day of the year. They were telling stories about their wild adventures, Samuel chiming in and laughing with them. A couple of them passed around cigarettes as they spoke.

“So then I says, “Listen up you Brummie bastard, I won the hand fair and square. Now if we’s got a problem, you can bring it up to my associate, Mr. Kiss My Arse.” One of the ladies named Sarah finished up her story. Samuel roared with laughter with the rest of the Rooks, even Eileen nearly swallowed her coffee the wrong way trying to contain her amusement.  
“How did he respond?” Samuel asked.  
“Well, he did end up kissing my arse, but neither one of us was opposed to it.” She sent a wink in their direction as she took a long drag. “Still got my fair share come morning. Just never mention my name to the barman in Lambeth, I think he might try to find me again.”

“Which is why you should never try to fuck someone while on the job, leads to nothing but trouble.” Samuel shook his head as he took a drink of the thermos when Eileen offered it to him.  
“You’re one to talk.” Eileen rolled her eyes, looking at him with a smug grin. “Don’t think I didn’t see you sneak off to try to put some soothing cream on your back.”  
That plus Josephine begged to come over for supper tonight, having great news to share, was more than enough evidence that the two of them finally talked last night. Although judging from how he winced at the brush of his shirt against his back, they did much more than talking.

“Like you weren’t doing the same with You Know Who.” He scoffed.  
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” But she did. Just thinking about last night made her flustered.  
“Really, love, how can you be blind to that?” Sarah spoke up, flicking her butt out of the circle. “According to Abernathy, Mr. Frye was ready to fuck you right up against the carriage last night.”  
“Christ, I’ld’ve let him.” Another female Rook named Christine sighed.  
Sarah barked with laughter. “As if, ever since Nurse Eileen came in, he’s had eyes only for her.”  
Eileen wasn’t sure how to feel about them talking so blatantly about this right in front of her, but she was too embarrassed to confront them. 

“Relax love,” Sarah noticed her tensing up. “It’s completely natural to have feelings for him, he’s probably the best looking man in London. I think all of us have had a crush on him at some point. It's like a rite of passage.”  
“‘Cept for Louise, but that’s because she’s more fond of what under a lady’s skirt,” Christine interjected.

Sarah waved her hand at the other girl dismissively. “I just have a word of advice. Be careful how you approach. The boss is more of a…well, he’s a gal-sneaker.”  
“A what?” Eileen asked, her stomach starting to twist.  
“He likes the chase more than the actual conquest. He’s good at playing the game too. Stray lingering touches, little trinkets, sometimes he gives special nicknames to those he really likes.” Sarah explained. “I think the Boss’s got a think for medical girls. Couple of months before you came ‘round he had another one of Faulkner’s girls wrapped around his finger. He’d flirt with her and she would hand over whatever Mr. Frye wanted. No one’s seen her for months now, probably why he wanted to hire you so quickly.” 

Eileen’s stomach stopped twisting, now dropping to her feet. She played with the thermos in her hand to avoid the stares at her, as if waiting for a reaction.  
“We didn’t mean to upset you, but it’s only fair that you get a warning. Men are pigs, and they don’t take a girl’s feelings into consideration, even when the girl gives everything to him.” Sarah sounded apologetic, digging for another cigarette. “C’mon, we should go and scout, Boss wants the blocks around the train station filled with our guys for the shipment tonight.” Christine nodded and followed after her. 

“Are you…” Samuel leaned over, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.  
“I’m fine.” Eileen stood up, gathering the rest of her food, now too hollow to think about eating. “Let’s go do our jobs.” 

She was **NOT** fine. 

All this time and he never mentioned having feelings for anyone else. She ran through a checklist in her head, thinking of nurses that had mentioned seeing a roguish man in the past year. Those kinds of things never remained a secret for long between co-workers, and Eileen was pretty good at being inconspicuous when overhearing gossip. Her stomach was in knots and her face was burning out of shame. Of course, a man like that would have a trail of broken hearts behind him, she should have known. Now she wondered if she should get out while her dignity was still intact of muddle through and pray that she didn't become another notch in his bedpost?

As they walked up to their office, Eileen noticed some commotion coming from inside. Samuel put himself in front of Eileen as he opened the door, ready to confront whatever was going on. It could have been a burglar or a Blighter trying to steal secrets. But it was just Mr. Frye, looking rather sheepish at being caught with the medical tools scattered on the ground. One boot was in his hands and his coat was haphazardly pulled on.

“What do you think you’re doing, Mr. Frye?” Eileen asked, crossing her arms and standing in front of the doorway. She felt like a mother catching a naughty teenager sneaking out.  
“Well. I was in the process of leaving, but I couldn’t find any of my belongings, so pardon the mess.”  
“I haven’t cleared you yet, Mr. Frye, need I remind you that you fell from an eight-story building today?”  
“The ache in my head won’t let me forget, but I will not repeat the same mistakes I did this morning.” He pulled on the other boot and fixed his jacket.  
“Excuse me for not believing you entirely.” She said cooly. The medical tray he had knocked over hadn’t been in the way, which mean he must have stumbled into it on accident. Something out of the norm for the generally sneaky Mr. Frye. “But I don’t think you should be conducting your business until you’ve healed up more.”

“Lee-Lee, I’m fine.” Mr. Frye walked towards her with a determined face. “See? I can walk in a straight line and I’m not seeing three of you anymore. Practically the picture of health.”  
“Head trauma is no joking matter to me, so if you would please, sit down so I can examine you again.”  
“Oh, you can examine me all you want later, darling, but after my mission.” He threw a wink her way, a hand brushing a stray hair out of her face.

That got her blood boiling. Even if she hadn’t been told of his past with the other nurse, how dare he try to toy with her emotions like this to get his way.  
“Mr. Frye, if you do not move your hand, I swear I will smack you.”  
His hand flinched back like he had been burned, confusion clouding his face.  
“Eileen, I need to be out there. London needs me.”  
“That is Nurse Morris to you.” She snapped, hands shaking at her sides. “I am sure that London will not fall apart without you for one day. Otherwise, I would doubt how good of a job you were doing.”  
That was a low blow, even for an argument. Eileen saw the hurt on his face before he clamped his jaw, turning his face away from her.

“I’m sorry Mr. Frye, I overstepped.”  
“Yeah, you tend to do that. Are you that careless with your words, or only with me?” He didn’t give her time to respond. “I have a duty to the people of London, and I am not going to let some stubborn pain stop me from doing my job, lest she would like to be fired from yet another place of work?”  
That jab hurt, and honestly, she kind of deserved it. So, pushing down the urge to start another argument or to strike him, she stepped out of his way. Her eyes burned and her lip quivered. He didn’t look back before the door shut between them, leaving a resounding silence behind. 

“Eileen-“ Samuel, who had been smart in staying out of their quarrel, stepped forwards. Eileen rubbed her eyes, willing the tears away before they escaped.  
“It’s fine. The girls were right. Men are pigs.”  
Samuel didn’t have a response to that but laid a gentle hand on her arm. “I could go follow him, make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid..”  
“Do whatever you like. He believes that my judgment is lacking, so he should be fine, being the expert he is.” 

Gently removing his hand, she went back to the room where they had their supplies stored. “I’ll be off doing my rounds with the Urchins if you need me.”  
“Of course ma’am.” He said softly, offering her an imaginary hat tip as she walked to the door.  
“You know, I stand corrected earlier.” She turned around. “Not all men are pigs. But if you do anything to hurt Josephine, I swear I will gut you like one.”  
“I wouldn’t expect any less. She deserves to be treated like royalty, and I will do my best for her.” 

With a half-smile, Eileen left. At least one of them got their knight in shining armor.

~~~

Eileen was dragging her feet by the end of the day. The sun was just barely peeking over the tops of the buildings by the time she stumbled to her street. As hard as she had tried, she was unable to forget about the fight with Mr. Frye. Even as she was knee-deep in flu check-ups, her mind drifted back to their argument. It was haunting her, causing her to overthink what she had said, what she had been told. Thankfully, none of the kids had noticed her absent-mindedness, even Abel was too preoccupied with telling her a story about a new game they created to ask why she was distracted. 

She was so caught up in her thought, she barely noticed the number of people gathered outside of her house. Her heart sunk when she realized that they were policemen, their stark blue uniforms standing out as they milled around. It wasn’t until she saw two uniformed men entering the house that she became worried.  
“I’m sorry Miss, but you can’t go any further.” One police officer held out his arm when she tried to approach.  
“This is my house!” She argued, pushing past the man.  
There was one man with an outrageously large mustache directing people, he must have been the one in charge.  
“Pardon me, but what is going on?” Eileen demanded as she approached him. He turned away from the other man he had been speaking with, his head tilted slightly. 

“How did you get past the barricade?”  
“They let me through, this is my home.”  
“What is your name?”  
“Eileen Morris, I’ve lived here for over a year now, can you tell me why you have men going through my house?”  
“This is an investigation site, Miss Morris. May I ask you a few questions?”  
“If it’ll get them out of here, sure.” She crossed her arms. 

“We received an anonymous tip in regards to the stolen property over the past six months, have you read the stories?”  
“No, I haven’t.”  
“Local hospitals are reporting medications going missing, as well as tools and supplies. We received a tip that pointed us here.”  
“Here?” Eileen felt her heart skip a beat.  
“Yes Miss, so I’ll ask you once. Do you know of any stolen supplies that may or may not be inside of your establishment?”

She didn’t get the chance to answer, as a voice called out for the Chief’s attention. Eileen felt her heart completely stop, watching as the police officer held up her cloth bag, one filled with medical supplies like the ones they were looking for.  
“This fits the description exactly. Down to the number of bandage rolls.”  
“They’re not stolen!” Eileen said, slapping a hand over her mouth. Damn it, she might as well have just let them handcuff her now. Of course, they would assume she’d say that.  
“Then how did you come by this bag, Miss Morris.” The Chief did not miss a beat. “And why do you need them?”

“I…” Her eyes shot back and forth between the two. She couldn’t compromise the Rooks, because then both Samuel and Josephine would also be in trouble for practicing without a license. She was already in deep with this, she wouldn't drag anyone else with her.  
A police officer grabbed the bag from her hands, prying it open.  
“There are more supplies in here too,” He declared, handing the bag to the Chief. “Is this enough to book her?”  
“Well, evidence that matches the description and no alibi is pretty damning.” The Police Chief shrugged. “It’s enough to bring her in for questioning.” He waved his hand at her. 

The police officer who had grabbed her bag from her took her hand in his own, pulling out a large set of handcuffs.  
“No wait, please,” Eileen protested as the other was wrestled into the cuff, locking them tightly around her wrists. “This is a big misunderstanding!”  
“And I’m sure we can figure this out with a trip to the station. Maybe a night in a cell will jog your memory.”  
Two officers grasped her elbows, gently leading her towards the iron wagon they had parked nearby. Eileen tried to keep her head high, but her hands were shaking and her breathing was coming in short spurts. She will not cry. She will not cry in front of these men.

As an officer helped her into the wagon, Eileen heard a familiar voice over the chatter of police officers.  
“Get your hands off of her!”  
Eileen turned around, finding Elijah being held back by an officer. Behind him were Josephine, Mr. Green, and both of the Frye twins. Before she could say anything, she was jolted inside, the heavy metal door closing on her. She grabbed the metal bars on the window. Elijah looked ready to throw punches, one arm or not while Josephine was holding her hands to her mouth, tears streaming down her face.

“What are her charges?” Miss Frye asked the Police Chief, keeping a level head as always.  
“Besides robbery of medicinal and herbal supplies, and practicing while suspended? We believe this may be involved in the illegal shipment of opium, that this house may have been used as a safe house to store the drugs before dispersing.”  
“Drug trafficking?” Miss Frye’s voice raised slightly. “Miss Morris is not a drug runner.”  
“If you have any evidence to support that claim or to point us in the direction of those who may be involved, by all means, bring them down to the station. But for now, we have evidence suggesting that you may not know Miss Morris as well as you thought.” 

There was a clatter on the door and a face came into view, startling the daylights out of her. A gloved hand grabbed her own cuffed hand, clutching it tightly.  
“Lee-Lee, I know you’re mad at me, but you have to listen to everything I say, and listen very carefully.” Mr. Frye said quickly, keeping his voice low as to not attract the policemen around them. With everything going on, the last thing she was was angry, gripping his hand like a lifeline.  
“Do not speak to any of the officers, no matter how much they press or threaten to raise your charges, don’t tell them anything, not even if you need to use the loo. You can only talk to one man, our ally on the inside, he’s the only one who will understand and work with you. Fredrick Abberline, he’s an older man with disgustingly large muttonchops. Ask him about the weather from the top of Buckingham Palace, he will know that you’re with us and help you.”

“Jacob, I-“  
“Repeat back what I just said.”  
“I will not speak to anyone but your ally, Fredrick Abberline. Ask him about the weather on top Buckingham Palace. He will help me.”  
His hand reached out to brush her face, his gloved thumb tracing her cheekbone.  
“Good girl. Evie, Elijah, and I will do everything in our power to get you out as fast as possible. We have to try their way first, but I will not leave you in there.” 

“Hey, get down from there!”  
Jacob looked back for just a moment, his eyes shifting for just a moment as if debating something.  
“Please don’t get mad.”  
Before she could ask why she was about to be angry, he used his hand holding her face to tug her forwards, slotting his lips against hers through the wide bars. There was barely any time for her to react to the kiss, let alone reciprocate, before his face was pulled away, two officers dragging him back down. Jacob kept eye contact with her as he was walked away.  
“Stay strong, love!” He called out, a small smile on his face. “I won’t leave you.” 

There was the sound of reigns being slapped and the wagon jerked underneath her, rolling forward away from the group. She kept her eyes on them until it was virtually impossible to see them anymore. Her face was burning, except for where the metal bars had pressed up against her, but still, she couldn’t help but smile. With a hand to her lips, she staggered over to the bench, keeping her breathing even. Just for a second, she forgot that she was screwed and on her way to jail. But with all of her friends and family on her side, maybe she would be okay.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So a lot happens in this chapter, hope you're ready for the absolute shit storm about to hit the fan. 
> 
> Also, I am posting TWO chapters today because of my absence and the fact that I'm not sure when I will be able to update again now that school is starting, but I will not give up on this story. I have a general idea of how I want this to end and I will see it all the way through.
> 
> Thank you for all of the comments and kudos, they mean the world to me!

Elijah paced.

There wasn’t much that he could do in this situation except to wait and be patient. So he wore a tread in the rug inside the Curiosity Shop, his hand running through his hair every so often. 

Mr. Green and Miss Frye were seated inside, pouring over paperwork from the hospital in Southwark where the medical supplies had originally gone missing, but it wasn’t the only hospital that had reported a theft. Nearly every publicly-run hospital had reported supplies missing. From the small things that could go unnoticed like bandages and an occasional handsaw to the heavier drugs from apothecaries like laudanum and chloroform had been reported missing over the past four months. The pair were going over every shipment and log detail with a fine-tooth comb, cross-referencing with dates and times of delivery, and when it was stolen. 

Josephine and Samuel were both staying in Whitechapel’s headquarters tonight, just in case, the police found out about their involvement with the Rooks. The last place that the bobbies would want to storm was the heart of their territory. The Rooks were the last people that they wanted to upset, especially now that they had Eileen in their custody.

Christ, Elijah ran a hand through his hair again. His poor baby sister, locked away like some common thief. Couldn’t the bobbies see what good she has done in the neighborhood? There were fewer cases of lice and cholera on the streets, and the kids were looking much fuller and happier than he remembered seeing before. The Rooks were practicing healthy habits to reduce the spread of germs and diseases and the number of injured or dead were at the lowest he had known. She was doing much more help than harm, couldn’t they see that she had been set up? 

Elijah knew that house like the back of his hand, and there had been no briefcase like the officer had been holding. He would have taken the time to comb through the house himself, but there was an undercover cop sitting at the end of the block, passing as some bum, keeping an eye on the house to see if anyone entered or exited. They were looking for accomplices, someone they could use to justify arresting Eileen. 

Was she scared? He knew that she was strong, with what she has had to put up with in the past year and a half. She was the strongest person he knew, but even the strongest people had their weak moments. Elijah scoffed at the thought. Knowing his sister, she was probably giving the officers on the night shift a piece of her mind. She tended to speak out of turn, no matter the outcome of her words.  
_‘Just don’t say something they can incriminate you with, Lee-Lee.’_ He thought briefly to himself. 

Elijah stopped pacing. “I’m stepping out for a bit”  
Miss Frye made an acknowledging noise, but neither of them looked up from their research. 

Elijah fumbled for his pack of smokes in the brick wall, hidden out of the prying eye of his sister. If she found out that he was smoking, she’d lose it. It was something he had picked up since leaving the asylum, but he had a lid on it, only smoking when he was stressed out. Besides, with the factory smoke and general smoggy air, it wasn’t like smoking was any worse for him, right?  
He pulled out one cigarette, lifting the end to his mouth and covering the match so it wouldn’t burn out. He had quickly become a master of lighting a match with one hand. Elijah leaned back against the wall and blew out a couple of puffs in silence, trying to steady his breathing. Burning tobacco was a surefire way to calm his nerves, next to being next to someone he loved. 

“Got a cigarette I can bum?”  
Speaking of which, Elijah smiled as he turned his head down the alley, Theodore leaning against the brick wall. Even after months together, the man still made his heart skip a beat.  
“How much money ya got?”  
“None, I was hoping for a different kind of payment.” Theodore’s hand caressed his face, thumbing over his lips. 

“Darling, I’m worth much more than one cigarette.” He rolled his eyes.  
“Yeah, I know.” The hand slid behind his neck, rubbing gently as Theodore came into his personal space. “You’re worth every damn pack in the world.” His other hand plucked the cigarette out of his mouth, leaning down to kiss him. 

God, any other day, he would have taken Teddy up on his offer, maybe even a quick shag in the dark, but even as his partner started to trail his lips down his throat, all he could think about was his sister.  
Teddy noticed this immediately, pulling away from him slightly.  
“What’s up, dearest?”  
“Did you hear about Eileen?”  
“No, what’s happened?” Teddy asked. “Is she alright?”

“The bobbies found stolen supplies in our house, medical bags, or something. There has been a string of robberies, and they’re blaming Eileen.”  
“Shit, this happened today?”  
“Hours ago. Miss Frye is inside pouring over records, and God knows where Mr. Frye went, but it was probably important.”  
Teddy hummed, rubbing Elijah’s arms with his hands. “How are you holding up?”

“I…I’m frustrated. I had to watch her get dragged off, and if it wasn’t for Miss Frye’s quick talking, I probably would have been carted away too. Now I’m just here, and I can’t do the things that they can to help. I feel useless.” Elijah sighed, grabbing the cigarette back and taking a long drag. He blamed the tobacco for his shaky hands and his anxious heart.  
“Hey.” Teddy touched his face, as gentle as one would handle expensive china. “You’re not useless. You are going to do everything in your power to bring your sister home, and she will be home soon. We just have to be patient and wait to see what happens tonight. And I’m right there with you, no matter what.” 

If Elijah wanted to cry before, the reassurance in Teddy’s voice brought tears to his eyes. Teddy wiped the tears away for him.  
“Yeah?”  
“Yeah. I’m with you.” Kissing his cheek, Teddy brought Elijah into a tight hug. Elijah breathed deeply, the smell of sandalwood and stale tobacco enveloping him comfortingly. With a small peck to his head, Teddy pulled away, holding Elijah’s hand.  
“C’mon, let go see if we can help.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, there was a crash at the other end of the alley. Teddy pulled out a knife while Elijah went for his gun, aiming at the dark figure that dropped in.  
“That’s no way to greet your boss.” Mr. Frye stepped out of the shadows, tugging something behind him and letting it flop on the ground. More like someone, judging by the wriggling it was doing, kicking up dirt as it moved. There was a sack over their head, and a gag in their mouth judging by the mumbled words through the bag, hogtied like someone’s hunt.

“Teddy, mind giving me a hand with our guest? And if you could get the door for us, Eli?” Elijah nodded, stamping out his smoke while Teddy wrangled the person up to their feet. The person tried to break free of the grip, but Teddy moved too quickly, slugging them in the gut. Elijah opened up the back storeroom and stood out of the way as they dragged them inside. 

Mr. Green had been a bit miffed to find that Mr. Frye had turned his spare room into a makeshift interrogation room, but the walls were thick and the mess was usually easy to clean up, so his customers were none the wiser. Half the time, Elijah didn’t hear a peep out of them when he was working in the front of the store. Elijah pulled the matches out and lit the lanterns in the room while Mr. Frye and Teddy wrestled the hostage into the chair.  
Teddy yanked the bag off as Mr. Frye pulled out a gun, clicking the safety off and pointing it at their head. 

It was a man, hardly older than anyone in this room, with bright blonde hair. He may have been attractive, but his face was swollen up and bloodied. Spit trickled down from the gag and onto his dirty shirt. At the sight of Mr. Frye, instead of sobering up, he growled and fought against the ropes holding him down.  
“Settle down, dog.” Mr. Frye growled as the gag slipped down.  
“Don’t tell me to settle down, you’re the one who fucking kidnapped me! Who the fuck do you think you are, nabbing people off the streets?” 

Sighing, Mr. Frye pulled the gun back, aiming it at the ground and firing one shot. Elijah flinched as the man howled, the bulled shot through his foot, blood seeping out onto the concrete floor.  
Mr. Frye clicked the gun again. “I won’t say it again. I can easily blast all the toes on one foot before I even have to think about reloading.” The man whined in pain but was still. Teddy was able to lock the guy into place, the manacles thick and falling heavily against the chair as he was shoved into place at the table.

“Wonderful. Teddy, please be a lamb and let Greenie and Evie know that we have a visitor?”  
“I can do it, Mr. Frye,” Elijah spoke up. Honestly, he didn’t want to stay in the room anymore. He had never seen the look on Mr. Frye’s face before. It was the look of pure calm, but it was thinly stretched over his rage if the set of his shoulders and jaw had anything to say. Usually, when these situations happened, Mr. Frye was annoyed at the inconvenience or snarky as he went, prying information out of his victims. Usually with very little beating required and Mr. Frye always gave several warnings before getting violent, but it looks like this man had gotten the brunt of his blows before he was brought here.

“No no, I asked Teddy for a reason.” Mr. Frye dismissed Teddy curtly. Teddy shrugged and left, sending a look over his shoulder to encourage Elijah.  
“Have a seat Elijah.” Mr. Frye gestured to the other chair in the room, usually one that Mr. Frye took when questioning enemies. It felt sacrilegious to even think about sitting in the chair, but Mr. Frye’s voice held no room for argument. He sat down across the table while Mr. Frye set off on a prowl around the room.

“Where are my manners, I forgot to introduce you two. Elijah, this is Reginald Waterstrait, but his friends call him Reggie.” Mr. Frye said, stalking into the shadows of the room. “Reggie, this is Elijah Morris.”  
At the mention of his name, the man stopped scowling, looking him up and down slowly. His dark eyes widened.  
“Ah, so now he gets it.”  
“Get’s what?”

“Do you remember about half a year ago when your cover was mysteriously blown, even though we had taken every single precaution to keep you safe?”  
Well of course he did, he had half an arm missing to remind him every day.  
“Well, this is your whistleblower, Eli. He’s responsible for your three days of torture.” Mr. Frye clapped his hands, Reggie jumping in his chair at the sound.  
“I…Okay, Mr. Frye, but what does this-“  
“This man,” Mr. Frye yanked his hair back until his head bounced against the back of the chair. “Decided to make your life a living hell in retaliation to your survival. Sent an anonymous tip to the bobbies to check your house, probably planted the stuff too. He was hoping to get you, but Eileen took the fall instead.”  
Reggie was sweating now, dripping down his face in rivers, eyes wide as Elijah took in the realization. This man was not only responsible for his injuries, the fact that he was down an arm, and was the reason that his sister was in jail? It sounded too good to be true.

“I didn’t plant anything I swear-“ The room echoed with the sound of his head slamming against the table, Mr. Frye holding his neck.  
“Don’t lie.” Despite the fury he had, Mr. Frye’s voice was even. Not even raised to a shout. Mr. Frye grabbed Reggie's wrist and slammed his hand on the table 

“Let’s play a game. I ask you questions, and you answer them honestly. If you lie, I chop off a finger and feed it to you.”  
Reggie cried out as a knife slid out, dangerously close to his pinky finger.  
“Mr. Frye, maybe we should wait for Miss Frye to join us before we get to dismembering?” Elijah said, his hand shaking at his side.  
“C’mon, don’t you wanna have a little fun with him?” Mr. Frye held the knife close to his hand menacingly. “He’s the reason you’re missing an arm. Why not get some payback?”

A deep and dark part of Elijah wanted to, and that scared him. He has been in the gang business for a while now, and while he was damn good at running letters and messages through the city, he still had yet to kill someone. Beaten someone to near death, yes, he did that with the Blighters, and he hated every second of it. When the Frye twins asked them to sign over, his contingency was that he wasn’t going to kill anyone. He would help in any way that he could, but never to take someone else’s life.  
That’s how he got involved with reconnaissance missions like his last one. Elijah was awake for all three days of his torture, he remembered every single second of pain and misery that was brought upon him. He wouldn’t wish it on his worst enemy. Not even if he was sitting in front of him and he had full permission to take revenge. 

He shook his head slowly.  
“No. Not like this.”  
Mr. Frye hummed softly, spinning the knife in his hand before slamming it into Reggie’s hand. The young man howled, the chains rattling as his limbs flailing. He gave out one long cry, breathing heavily. Mr. Frye beckoned for Elijah to follow after him, leaving Reggie to sit alone in the dimly lit room. 

Miss Frye and Mr. Green were waiting with Teddy in the storefront, a mug of tea in their hands. Teddy held out a cup for Elijah, and he took it with a happy noise as he settled next to his love. Mr. Frye remained standing, his brow furrowed.  
“So, who’s our guest? Blighter or Templar?” Miss Frye asked casually.  
“Far as I can tell, just a Blighter. But I think he knows who planted the evidence at the Morris' house.”  
“For what? I thought the Templars were finished?” Teddy asked.  
“Getting rid of Starrick was a huge victory, but Templar activity doesn’t disappear overnight.” Miss Frye explained. “We’ve been tracking a drug case for our ally in the police force. Two tons of opium have been smuggled into the city and dispersed among the populace and vanished without a trace. We've been thinking it's gang-related."

“It’s definitely Templar related.” Mr. Frye said. “I found letters this afternoon that prove it.”  
“And of course they don’t want it traced back to the Blighters-” Miss Frye started.  
“So they planted evidence among our ranks to throw the coppers off.” Mr. Frye finished.  
“But why our house?” Elijah asked. “There’s no way any of the Templars know where I live, I’m not a big figure in the gang.”  
“No, but Eileen is.” Mr. Green said grimly. “She has the means with her connections in Whitechapel, and opium in small doses could be used for medicinal purposes, she would have the motive.”  
“But why not plant the drugs? That would have been easier for them to convict her with smuggling and dealing, so why hide the stolen medical supplies?”

Miss Frye froze for a moment as some proverbial connection was made. She sprung to her feet, rushing over to the papers that she and Mr. Green had been pouring over.  
“What’s got your gears turning, Evie?” Mr. Frye asked.

“I need to speak with the man.” Her eyes flicked upwards, holding out her hand. “Can I borrow your brass knuckles? The ones with the spikes?”  
“I like where you’re going with this.” He passed over the weapons, golden spikes imbedded in the plating that looked like it could carve someone’s eye out.  
“Thank you, I’ll be back when I have answers.” She waved off the boys with a cheery smile like she was popping off to the store.

“Miss Frye scares me sometimes,” Teddy said lowly.  
Mr. Green sighed. “Yeah, she’s pretty great.” As if realizing he said that aloud, he stood up, brushing his hands on his robe. “I’ll, um, go see if she needs help.” He dismissed himself quietly.

“5 quid says that they fuck before they meet us back out here.”  
“You better not be making a bet about our bosses fucking.” Elijah mumbled, a rush of blood rising to his face.  
“You don’t need to make any bets, they’ve been fucking for weeks now.” Mr. Frye said, shuddering before muttering about finding something to eat.  
Elijah and Teddy rose to join him. 

~~~

The jail was not as scary as it seemed.

It must have been a slow week for crimes in Whitechapel because she was all on her lonesome. Last night had been quiet, just her and the jailer who tried to get her to talk about random topics, to trick her into saying something incriminating. She hadn’t spoken a word since she was shoved into the prison wagon, eyes scanning for the man fitting Mr. Frye’s description. From what she had gleaned from their idle chatter, the sergeant was out for most of the day yesterday, something about a family illness. He’d be back this afternoon for questioning.  
Eileen picked at a stray string on her sleeve, counting down the hours until she could talk with the sergeant and figure things out. Mr. Frye had promised that they would get her out before the day’s end. 

She should probably start calling him by his first name, now that he was making his intentions towards her clear. Not just the incident outside of the pub, now he had snogged her. She felt the butterflies resurface just at the thought, fingertips brushing her lips.  
In all honesty, she was confused about everything going on. He was being open about how he felt, but how did she feel?

She has had several gentlemen callers, mostly young men whose family insisted on marrying her for her family’s money. She remembered her coming out party, how she had danced the night away with a long list of gentlemen that her parents approved of. She had been kissed before and she even knew what being intimate was like, but none of the men made her feel like this. Sure, they had courted her and made her smile and blush, but it felt fake. They never really sat down with her and asked what she thought and felt about even the most trivial things, they were more focused on fulfilling their obligation to their families. It was their expectations, and there wasn’t any kind of feeling beyond duty, (and lust in some cases). That was the kind of marriage her parents had, and the last thing she wanted was to become like her parents.

But with Jacob, it was different. They have known each other for half of a year, which was twice as long as many of her suitors, but in that time she felt a connection to the gang leader. He was kind to her and others around him, even at his most ruthless he still found it in him to be merciful. He was endlessly patient while he waited for her to open up to him, even letting down some of his walls first. He listened to her dreams and he helped her to live it out with her place among the Rooks. No man had ever done so much for her while asking nothing in return. Not to mention, it did boost her confidence to know that such an attractive man had fallen for her and was fighting for her.

Even if she didn’t call it love yet, that didn’t mean that it wouldn’t turn into that affection. Deep down though, Eileen thinks that she is already there.

The metal door at the end of the hall creaked open, jolting her from her thoughts. One of the officers, a different man from last night, approached the cell.  
“Miss Morris, you have a visitor.”  
Eileen tilted her head but said nothing. She wasn’t sure about jail etiquette, but she didn’t know people could visit someone who was detained. Could it be Jacob with an update on her case? Or maybe it was Elijah coming to check on her?  
Eileen looked away, trying to be as uninterested as possible. Her jailer sighed and walked back to the door, pushing it open more.  
“You’ve got ten minutes, that’s how long it takes for me to grab lunch from around the corner.” The cop said, and there was a clinking sound, like money being dropped into one’s hand. Footsteps retreated and the door closed.

She stood up. It had to have been Jacob, bribing the police to talk to her, that sounded like something he’d do. She turned around, and she felt whatever hope that had risen immediately being crushed when she met light grey eyes. The same color as hers.

“What, no greeting for the man who sired you?” Johnathan Morris spoke like a man who thought he was better than everyone, going as far as to look down his nose no matter their height. Eileen felt her back stiffen and her stomach clench. For the first time in a very long time, she thought she would vomit, her stomach of steel turning to burning liquid in her gut. She opened her mouth, but then snapped it shut.  
This had to be a test. The police wanted her to confess to a crime she never committed, what better way to get her to talk than by bringing a man she despised into her presence. 

“Do you know how much money I spent to get ten minutes of discretion?”  
“No, but I assume you’ll tell me anyway.” Eileen sat on the bed, unfortunately she could not turn completely away since her bed was crammed into a corner. Her father moved so she had to see him again, inescapable.  
He sighed. “And here I was hoping that time had allowed you to grow up, guess I was wrong about that.”  
“You are wrong about a lot of things.” She spat. 

“I am not wrong.” He sighed again, shaking his head. “But I am starting to regret coming down here.”  
“I’m surprised you’re sober enough to have regrets.”  
“Watch your tone, young lady.” Her father growled out.  
“Why are you even here?” Eileen asked. Eileen had not spoken to her father in over a year, but she had imagined what she would say to him if the opportunity arose. All of the anger and hurt were surfacing again and she had to bite her tongue to stop herself from blowing up. She would have to put thought behind her speech, one wrong word could send him spiraling, and there were no officers to protect her if he went into a rage.

“I was at the gentlemen’s club this afternoon enjoying a nice brandy when I heard your name being dropped by one of my associates. I had to learn from them that my only daughter was jailed, a convicted felon.”  
“I have committed no crime. I am being accused of committing a crime.”  
“It makes no difference because they will find some way to incarcerate you. Lord, Eileen, look how far you have fallen. Do you have any idea what this will do to your mother’s and I’s reputation? The scorn we will receive if you are found guilty? I will be the laughing stock of every man in Westminster.”  
“Oh father, you do a fine enough job of that as is.” Eileen snapped.

Johnathan Morris took a deep breath as if to convince himself to not walk out on their conversation.  
“Listen for once in your life, Eileen. If you stay, they will find some way to convict you. You will be sent to the asylum if you are fortunate, or you’ll swing if you are not. Think of someone else besides yourself just long enough to hear my proposal?”  
It didn’t matter what cutting remark she was going to say because he continued with his speech. “Come home, come back to your mother and me, we can sort this out. I have more than enough money for the police to look elsewhere, and we can start over. I can even find a decent suitor to overlook your rebellious phase and take you far away from here when the time is right. I know deep down this is just a ploy to get back at me, and you’ve won, so please cease this and come home?”

Eileen has no memory of her father ever saying please or admitting that he was wrong, but he just managed to do both in one sentence. A voice in her head that sounded young and naive was cheering, she finally had her father’s attention, and he promised he was going to make things better. He was right, she was destined to die if she didn’t do anything. The voice begged her to swallow her pride and agree to leave with him.

But then she thought of Elijah. Her father would never offer him this kind of agreement, not even on his deathbed. Johnathan Morris would rather pretend that his son did not exist then to help him. If she went with her father, she would never see Elijah again. She would never see Josephine, or Samuel, or Miss Frye again. She would never see Jacob again. They would think that she betrayed them, that she chose a life of comfort than a life of love and happiness.  
That thought immediately soured the idea, visibly recoiling when her father stuck out his hand.

“No.”  
“No? What do you mean no? Did you not hear when I said that you’ll hang!” Johnathan Morris lost his cool, he's hot-headed temper finally blowing.  
“I said no. I will not let you manipulate me again!” Like father, like daughter, because Eileen shouted right back at him. “If that means I’m locked up forever or that I’m signing my life away, then so be it. It will be a thousand times better than being with you.”  
Johnathan Morris opened his mouth, but then slammed it closed, an odd look came over his face. With no warning, he grabbed the iron bars. Eileen flew back, her heart jumping to her throat at the thought of him hurting her again. But instead, he reared his head back and slammed face-first into the bars, a horrendous crunching sound mixed with the ringing of metal. Johnathan Morris howled and fell to the floor, clutching his bleeding face in his bloodied hands. 

The door opened and two officers raced in. One reached for her father while the other drew a pistol at Eileen, who held her hands up shakily.  
“She grabbed me and slammed me into the bars!” He proclaimed.  
“That isn’t true!” She protested. But who were they going to believe? An influential man who had enough money and power to buy off the police or the girl behind the bars?

“I knew this was a bad idea, come on.” The officer who had let him in earlier said, giving away an odd scrap of cloth to stop the bleeding. He helped Johnathan Morris to his feet. “I apologize vehemently for this, I hope that this interaction will not influence any donations that you promised.”  
“You can’t control all of your prisoners. But perhaps it would be wise to keep a guard on her at all times, just in case she decides to lash out again.”  
“Has she lashed out before?”  
“She has had episodes of erratic behaviors before. I’m not the first person that she’s hurt.”

“Perhaps we should speak to the Captain about moving her to the asylum? For the safety of everyone.”  
“I would gladly vouch for that.” Johnathan Morris said, sending a dark look towards his daughter. Eileen felt tears prick the corner of her eyes, watching the betrayal unravel before her. The police officer led him away, the other one sitting down on the stool beside the jail cell, gun stowed away but with one hand on the hilt of his baton, just in case. 

Johnathan Morris didn’t bother looking back.


	10. Chapter 10

~~~

London was better viewed at nighttime in Elijah’s opinion. It was a time where you couldn’t see the smoke spouting out from the factories and there were fewer people out and about. Plus all of his favorite kinds of people came out, the misfits and the dreamers flooding the streets and pubs. Even though one couldn’t see the stars in the city, the moon usually hung high and bright, especially on cloudless nights like tonight. Elijah tilted his head back as he drank, wishing for his beer to take the edge off. 

How long has Miss Frye been at the guy in the cellar, an hour? Two? All they could hear was the occasional yelp in pain. Teddy had been called out on patrol just a little bit ago, so Elijah sat by his lonesome on the rooftop to distract his wandering mind. He had a close call getting up here, but it was worth it in the end. His foot swung as he stared out at the skyline, looking in the direction of the police precinct. 

What if he just snuck over there and broke his sister out of jail? He could probably get Mr. Frye in on it as well, with his expertise with sneaking about. They could get her out and into hiding before anyone noticed she was missing. Sure, she would have to go underground for a long time until they could prove her innocence, but she’d be free of a cell.  
He knew that would piss her off to no end, not being able to leave her bolthole, not being able to help people in need. She would hate to be cooped up, even for her own good. She’d go mental by the end of the first week, and someone might be dead by the second. Elijah chuckled to himself, taking a swig to find that the bottle was empty. 

He heard footsteps behind him, and turning around he saw it was Mr. Frye, holding two bottles in his hand like he had heard Elijah's want for more. He held out one for Elijah as he sat down on the ledge.  
“You are a saint, Mr. Frye.” Elijah twisted the cap off with his teeth, ignoring Mr. Frye’s attempt to help him open the bottle. He spat out the bottle cap, watching as it fell and clattered on the sidewalk. Jacob flicked his cap shortly after, taking a long swig.

“Any news from Miss Frye?”  
“Not yet, but Evie likes to be thorough with her interrogations.” He said as he wiped his lips. “She’ll probably have solved the whole thing by morning and we can get your sister for breakfast.”  
“I hope so.” Elijah shrugged, taking a pull from the bottle. 

“Eli, I-“ Mr. Frye started, clearing his throat. “I wanted to apologize for my behavior earlier. That wasn’t fair to you.” Elijah turned his head, looking his former boss up and down incredulously. Was a gang leader seriously apologizing for being a gang leader?  
“It’s fine.”  
“Not really.” He shook his head. “I tried to make you go back on your morals, sometimes I forget that people have those.”

“That scene earlier, it wasn’t just about me, was it?”  
“I wish I could say it was, but no. I’ve been angry all day, looking for someone to take a slight against. Then I saw that bugger tailing Samuel as he was making his way back from errands. I think he was trying to tip the bobbies about their location too. I saw red.” Mr. Frye shook his head. “I would have killed him had it not been for the information he held.”  
“Is the reason that you nearly killed a fellow the same as why I’ve nearly finished a pack of smokes in a day?” Elijah asked.  
Mr. Frye chuckled dryly. 

“I really pissed your sister off yesterday, and then she got arrested. If I hadn’t been an ass, maybe we could have avoided this whole thing.”  
“It probably wasn’t that bad.” Elijah tried to comfort the man, bumping his shoulder.  
“I mean, I called her work inadequate and tried to flirt my way out of bed.” He avoided eye contact with the twin. “I’m sure that constitutes as bad.”  
“Wait, you called her incompetent, and she didn’t take your head clean off?” Elijah couldn’t help the laughter that snorted out of him. “Jaysus, she’s really soft on you then. I jokingly called her a twat the other day and she threw a pair of shoes at me.” 

Mr. Frye joined his laughing, albite was more uncomfortable than anything. He still looked cautiously, like Elijah would snap at any moment.  
“I think it’s a little different when her brother calls her something versus her boss.”  
“I think you and I both know that you’re more than just a boss to her.” Elijah glanced at him as he took another drink, the bitter ale settling in his stomach warmly. For the first time in his memory, Mr. Frye looked uneasy, fiddling with the neck of his beer. Elijah wanted to let the silence sit for a minute, to see if his former boss would break it or if he would antagonize in it. 

He got about 30 seconds before he spoke. “I’ve never felt this way about anyone before. Fuck, that sounds so girlish, but it’s true.” He rolled his eyes at his own admission. “She’s so compassionate for everyone, even the bastards who don’t deserve it. She never holds back what she feels, and she seems so sure of herself, like what she’s doing is what needs to be done. Eileen makes me want to do dumb stuff so that I can hear her laugh. I found myself looking in Greenie’s flower book the other day, thinking which ones I’d give her. Isn’t that mental? And it’s not just her personality, I mean she’s got a really nice set of...” Mr. Frye stopped himself as if remembering who he was talking to.

“Oh no, keep going. Lust about my baby sister, don’t let me stop you.” Elijah raised one brow, watching as the other man scrambled to fix his mess.  
“I was going to say she has nice eyes, I swear.” He took a very long drink of beer. “You seem rather okay with all of this.”  
“I mean, I’ve known since the start. The whole _“whoops I left my hat so you’d bring it to me”_ bit when I first woke up. Those nights you’d walk her home and I would pretend to be asleep so you would chat for a moment at the door. Plus that night at the pub a few weeks ago when you kept asking me if she liked you. You two are the biggest, most oblivious people that I have ever met when it comes to love.” 

Mr. Frye sat on that for a bit, the realization dawning on his face for the first time.  
“Holy shit I’m in love with her.”  
“Yeah, thank you for catching up. It’s been torture for the rest of us to watch." Elijah laughed. "There’s a huge wager right now among the Rooks, if you confess before Christmas, I think Evie and Henry get close to 2,000 pounds. If one of you two finally gets the balls to actually tell each other how you feel, that is.”  
“I mean, I might have already.”  
Elijah paused, tilting his head to look at him.  
“I kinda might have snogged her right before she was taken away in the paddy wagon.”

Elijah felt every thought dim, narrowed in on the one memory of seeing Mr. Frye near the wagon, telling her something before the police dragged him away.  
Mr. Frye kissed his baby sister...  
He. Kissed. His. Baby. Sister.  
It was one thing to tease him about it, but it was completely different to know now. Had the door below them not opened, Elijah might have tried to shove the gang leader off the roof.

“Elijah, Jacob. We’ve got the news.”  
Mr. Frye closed his eyes, muttering a small thank you to Mr. Green's interruption before leaping off the roof. Elijah rolled his eyes, already starting to prepare a protective big brother speech as he descended the ladder. 

Miss Frye was tearing through the records they nabbed earlier, Mr. Green moving quickly to catch the fallen papers.  
“What’s got you amped up?” Mr. Frye asked cautiously.  
“We are complete idiots, that’s what.” She slapped her hand on top of one of the papers. “I knew there was a discrepancy. Jacob, who was that nurse that you used to flirt with nine months ago?”

He flirted with another nurse right before Eileen?!  
Elijah sent Mr. Frye a look, which he pointedly ignored.  
“It wasn’t serious, it was to get supplies because we didn’t have a medical professional.” He reassures Elijah before moving on. “Her name was Hannah McCleary.”  
“That’s it!” Evie snapped her fingers. “It’s all coming together now.”

“Maybe for you, but could you fill the rest of us in?” Mr. Frye asked impatiently.  
“Medical supplies have been going missing for months now, yeah?”  
“Yes, Miss Obvious.”  
Miss Frye sent him a look before continuing. “A week before the first case goes missing, we send a spy into a gang stronghold to ask about numbers, but he discovers what?”  
“Drug trafficking.” Elijah filled in.  
“So at the end of that week, when we go back to infiltrate the stronghold, we can’t find the drugs anywhere.”  
Elijah could see the gears in their heads turning. “What does that have to do with Eileen?”  
“Did you remember the date that they all started? It started on April 30th, the day after we found Elijah in the train park. The day that Eileen was fired from Southwark Hospital.”

“So the drugs are related to the stolen medical supplies?”  
“I think the Blighters have been looting hospitals, dumping the supplies somewhere, and using the bags for discreet carrying across town. But the thing is, the Rooks have taken over all of the boroughs, and the Templars fell months ago. So they start scrambling. Then a higher up Templar comes up with an ingenious plan to get rid of the evidence and get revenge. Planting empty medical bags in a house where an outspoken nurse lives to get the police to follow a false trail while they gather the rest of the drugs for a final reveal. They'd be too busy trying to get the nurse to explain where the rest of the drugs are to notice.”

“Eileen.” Mr. Frye filled in with a nod.  
“Exactly. So how do you sneak it in? Using a mule.”  
“One of the Rooks?”  
“No, but they did try to make us think we had a mole. They did when we were too busy worrying about one of our own to notice someone leaving empty bags behind.”  
Mr. Frye slams his hand against his head. “Reggie! He was the damn apprentice that night Eli needed a doctor. I thought I recognized him.”  
“But Dr. Faulkner wouldn’t let someone pretend to work alongside him. Unless...” Elijah trailed off, the others looking at him with a realization. 

“Dr. Faulkner is our Templar.” Mr. Frye said darkly.  
“That makes so much sense. He’d blame the nurse who is driving people away from the hospital, and by firing her, makes her the perfect suspect.” Miss Frye muttered.  
“Fuck, how did we miss this?” Elijah said.  
“Hannah. The last day I saw her, she said that she wanted to tell me something.” Mr. Frye looked off in the distance. “But she never showed up at the pub. I thought she wanted to tell me how she felt and lost her bottle.”  
“Hannah McCleary was in the papers the other day.” Mr. Green said somberly. “She was found in the Thames. Looks like she had been dead for months.” 

“If Faulkner is willing to kill a whistleblower, who knows what he’ll do out of revenge.” Jacob spat, looking very worried now.  
“We’ve got to get this to Sargent Abberline.” Mr. Green said, helping Evie shove all of the evidence papers in their arms. Mr. Frye was already out the door, a loud whistle breaking the night’s quiet. Elijah grabbed his coat, shoving his arm through the hole. 

“What are you doing?” Miss Frye asked as he followed them out.  
“My sister is in danger, of course, I’m coming with you.” Neither one of them protested his joining, helping Mr. Frye hail a carriage. As he clambered inside, he couldn’t help the dark pit in his stomach, stretching endlessly as Mr. Frye snapped the reigns, thundering down the road in the early morning light.

~~~

Eileen twisted her skirts in her hand as she paced in the cell, ignoring the dirty look that the police officer sent her as her boots clicked against the wooden floor. If anyone should be giving looks, it should be her. She hasn’t had a moment to herself since her father left, an officer watching her with keen eyes. She couldn’t even shit without them knowing. She couldn’t sleep, to aware of watching eyes, so she waited and paced. Eileen hadn’t heard anything from the officers about when Sargent Abberline would be in if he would even talk with her at this rate. 

After her “attack”, this would be an easy case for the courts. She had obviously gone crazy, so they would charge her and send her to an asylum until her court date. Eileen had heard about those cases, even had her own opinions on how they should treat the criminally insane, but she never assumed she would be one herself. With no word from the Rooks or Jacob about how the investigation was going, it was starting to sink in that she may never be a free woman again. She would cry if she could have a moment of peace. 

She stopped pacing at the sound of horse hooves outside, a carriage coming to a halt. The police officer, who looked very exhausted from the night shift, peeked out the window. 

“Are you kidding me? It's too damn early for this.” The man grumbled, getting out of his chair and grabbing his baton. The keys on his belt jingled as he walked away, disappearing around the corner and down the stairs.  
Eileen held her breath, listening to the distant shouting from three floors below, men shouting at each other, but the words were unclear behind the doors. Then there was silence, stretching thin in the early morning hours. Eileen was about to open her mouth to call out for help when she heard keys jingling up the stairs. 

A police officer, different from the one she had seen all night, approached the cell, twirling his keys on his finger, looking quite chipper despite the shouting earlier.  
“Well Miss Morris, it seems like today is your lucky day. You’ve had new evidence come to light that points this whole situation elsewhere. You’re free to go.” He reached down and clicked the key until the cell door sprung open. 

Eileen couldn’t believe it. They had done it. She could have cried right then and there, but all she wanted to do was go home and be with her loved ones. The officer held the door open for her, gesturing with his arm for her to come out. Slowly and steadily, not to give away her excitement, she strode out of the cell. For the first time in days, she didn’t have bars blocking her view, smiling widely as she turned to the door. 

Only for an unfamiliar arm to wrap around her waist. The other slapped over her face, a blur of white caught her eye. She had just enough sense to not gasp when he held the cloth against her face, trying to force the drug into her system. Eileen knew better, holding her breath as he struggled to keep her from struggling. She knew the smell of chloroform, she had used it nearly every day back at the hospital and occasionally for helping unruly Rooks settle down before stitches. 

She stomped down, a move her brother had taught her for if she was ever grabbed from behind. One of her hands went up to the other arm, trying to dislodge it, wiggling and flailing around the best she could while in his grip. With some adrenaline-based strength, she managed to slam them into the wall behind them, hearing the oomph as he collided with the hard surface. Her brooch clattered to the ground as it fell off and a couple of books on the nearby shelf tumbled down.

“C’mon, you can’t hold your breath forever!” A hand swung and hit her in the gut. She tried to push past the pain, to not fall for that automatic reflex to breathe in, but her body gasped the tiniest of bit out of shock. That was enough to send her mind reeling, stalling her struggles for just a moment. The officer who wasn’t an officer brought them to their knees, slowly squeezing her diaphragm. He knew was he was doing, but she still fought, one hand scrambling to pull his away. She felt blood trickle down the backside of his hand, but it was no use. She had to breathe. 

With tears streaming down her face, she inhaled, the sickly sweet smell of chloroform hitting her almost immediately. Everything slowed down, and her body turned as heavy as lead. Eileen felt her hands drop to her sides, the man who held her finally let her topple to the floor, still holding the rag tightly against her face.  
“That’s it. Nice and easy.”

As her eyes rolled back, she sent a silent apology to her loved ones. She wished she could have been a little stronger. 

~~~

Elijah was the one to find the brooch, a silver setting with green and black gems that he had given his sister to celebrate her induction as a Rook. It was a cheap thing that Teddy had helped him make since Eileen refused to wear the uniform that the others wore. She wore it every day without fail, even when the back would fall off or the latch would break. It seemed so small and insignificant in his hand as he watched Miss Frye inspect the area, searching for any clues that would clue them in on Eileen's whereabouts.

The police officer on duty was nursing a lump on his head, dressed in only his longjohns, completely clueless when they had questioned him. He had been knocked out by a gang of men wearing red uniforms, they had been insistent on seeing the prisoner. Sargent Abberline, who had been in the countryside until yesterday evening on a family emergency, was fuming at the incompetence of his own men.

"I assure you we are taking full responsibility for this," Sargent Abberline spoke firmly, holding the newfound evidence in his hands, "especially now that we know that Miss Morris is innocent. I will put my best men on the case to find her."  
"Don't bother." Mr. Frye spoke up, his eyes dark with barely contained rage. It had taken both Elijah and Miss Frye to hold him back from attacking the police officer when the news had first dropped about Eileen going missing, ever since he had stood in the doorway of the precinct, arms crossed and face stormy. "I will take care of it." 

Had Elijah not felt so numbed from the fear and horror he felt at the fact that his baby sister was missing, he might have been scared. This was the fearsome Mr. Frye, the leader of the Rooks, that their enemies saw. His tone held the promise of justice being wrought upon those who had wronged him, the police would only get in the way with their laws and codes. He would not be hindered by anyone or anything, God helps whoever stood in his way. Mr. Frye stormed out of the building, the distant sound of a carriage being spurred into motion the only sound of his departure. Elijah should go warn Miss Frye that their carriage had been hijacked by her brother, that they would need to hail another, but all he could do was stare at the stupid piece of jewelry in his hand. 

Eileen was gone, but they would find her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Of course, I would leave you guys on a cliff hanger lol
> 
> Don't worry, everything will work itself out.   
> Or will it?
> 
> Thank you for all of the support, I will try to get the next chapter out relatively soon!


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So that was a long hiatus...
> 
> I apologize for the long leave of absence. Going to graduate school during a pandemic is NO fun and this semester kicked my ass. And then my laptop took a swan dive, so all of my files were lost for a while. But I'm back, and hopefully will have a more regular updating schedule. I want to finish up this story relatively soon, so hang in there. Thank you for your continued support, it was so nice to come back to all of the kudos and comments :)
> 
> Anywho, on with the chapter!

~~~

The point when fall turned into winter was a terrible time. The golden leaves that made autumn so beautiful had withered and decayed, scratching their way along the pavement like nails on bricks. People were hurrying to get where they needed to go, even in the market they did not linger for longer than necessary. The weather turned colder and darker, heavy clouds teasing freezing rain at least once a day now. And nowhere were the storm clouds darker than over the Rooks’ heads. Especially over Jacob.

It had been three weeks since his first order to flood the streets with patrols, searching for any sign of Templar activity or sighting of Eileen. London was a huge city, he knew it wouldn’t happen overnight, but it’s been nearly a month now with nothing to show for it. It was unbelievable, when he didn’t want to run into the Blighters or Templar bastards, they were everywhere, but now he couldn’t even find a trace of them even with his training. 

Evie and the Rooks were working around the clock to try to head the search, looking in all of the old bolt holes they had found leaders before. Not even his sister’s keen eyes had found anything worth mentioning. If they found nothing in these hideouts, their next place was the asylums, where the police had planned on originally sending her. Samuel and Josephine helped whenever they could, working with the Urchins to get any intel from the streets. 

Meanwhile Jacob and Theadore had the hardest job of all; keep Elijah from killing someone or himself. Jacob had never seen the boy lose his cool like he had the day they had stormed over to the police precinct. The calm and collected kid had lost his shit when he found Eileen’s broach on the floor of her cell, Jacob had to hold him back from pummeling the attending officer, who had been knocked out and pickpocketed from. One-armed or not, Eli would have rained a wrathful vengeance on them if it hadn’t been for them holding him back. Greenie did his best to keep him busy at the shop with enough work to overwhelm a normal person. But Eli worked through it meticulously, fast enough to work on the case with Jacob in his free time. Teddy would keep an eye on him at night when he got hopeless and found peace in a bottle. 

Jacob wanted to step in more, to do more, but he felt just as frustrated as the other twin brother. Even now as he sat in the Whitechapel office, paperwork to approve more training for his gang laid out across his desk waiting for his signature, he wanted to scream. He needed to be out there with the rest of them, looking over each overturned stone just in case they missed something. He spun a throwing knife in his free hand idly.

He missed Eileen. She worked nearly everyday, only taking a day off when insisted, and the days she wasn’t here already felt off. He didn’t know how to describe it, but she had this calming presence that flowed into everything she did. He had seen her calm brutes nearly three times her size with just her voice and a gentle hand. Every single person in her care had praise for her, her bedside manner rivaled with a saint. Even when she wasn’t treating patients, just being in the same vicinity could cheer up anyone having a lousy day. 

Jacob liked to sit in the office and just listen to her work. Listening to the shuffling of her feet or the soft murmurs of supplies that needed stocking was soothing. Once, he caught her singing, believing she was alone late at night. Eileen turned a rather lovely shade of red when she turned and found him standing there with a grin on his face. She threatened his manhood if he told a soul. Even when threatening him, she was adorable. 

God, everything she did was adorable. The way she went out of her way to help disenfranchised people, the way she shook out her hands after dealing with bloody wounds, the faces she would pull as different thoughts passed her internal monologue. She always stuck out her tongue just a bit when she was concentrated, not noticing she was doing so until someone teased her. Even when she was fuming about something and chewing them out (usually Eli or himself), the little indignant huff or eye roll was endearing. 

At first he hadn’t thought anything of it, he had phases where he grew very infatuated with someone but it usually went away after a month or two. But then it didn’t go away. It continued to grow the way that water soaks, rapidly and steadily becoming heavier and heavier until it is too much to bear alone. Jacob didn’t dare tell Evie, who would absolutely payback the months of teasing he had given her about Greenie. He mentioned having feelings towards someone to Greenie, who had given him sage but horrendously cheesy advice about just telling the person how he feels to which he replied with a snarky remark that had the shopkeeper rolling his eyes. He did take a chapter out of his book, however, leaving little gifts for Eileen and doing some of the small chores like making sure the clean bandages were always on top and restocking the supplies without her asking. 

He thought he was making great headway until the day she was taken into custody. The way she had spoken to him and treated him like he was some asshole trying to flirt his way out of bed. Was it true? Mostly. But she insulted his work, and he was a petty person. Jacob had every intention of apologizing, probably shoot himself in the foot when confronting her about his intentions, but then shit hit the fan. He probably shouldn’t have kissed her, at least not at that moment, but damn he didn’t regret kissing her. And if his brain wasn’t tricking him, she didn’t regret it either. 

Before he could get too comfortable in the thought of kissing her, there was a knock on his door. The knife in his hand finally struck, a crude sketch of Starrick posted to the wall that had been used as target practice many times.  
“Come in!” Jacob called out. The door opened, Josephine stepping into the office, a handful of envelopes in hand. “Josie, how can I help you?”  
“One of the Rooks wanted me to give these to you.” She held out the mail for him. 

Jacob’s eyes widened.  
“They sent you to fetch and carry? Jesus, haven’t I taught them better?” Jacob got to his feet. “Whoever it was will get a serious talking to. You’re not here to clean up after us or deliver mail. You’re a nurse, not a maid.” He liked to pride himself on being inclusive with his gang, taking just about everyone that was willing and able. In that time he has grown more socially conscious of outward aggressions towards groups of people and passive aggressions, some of which he had committed. Luckily his Rooks had explained some of the biases and stereotypes he had and helped him to correct his behavior. Whoever was treating Josie like a maid needed to have a long chat. 

“Mr. Frye, it’s fine. I offered to deliver it.” She waved her hand.  
“Are you sure? I want to make this a more inclusive space for everyone, especially for...you know.” He gestured awkwardly.  
“A black woman?”  
“Yes! Am I allowed to say that? I know there are certain words that shouldn’t be said, but that’s okay?”  
“Yes, you’re allowed to call me black. It’s not offensive, it’s describing the color of my skin.” Even while she was being patient with him, she had a bit of laughter in her features. “And I do feel welcomed here, more so than in other places around the city.”  
“Good! Because you deserve to be treated with respect, no matter what gender or race you are.” Jacob nodded. He made a mental note to check her pay to make sure she was earning her fair share, especially with two kids at home. 

“Anyways, the mail.” She gestured to the stack of envelopes.  
“Right yes, sorry 'bout that.” He took the letters from her. “It’s been a long few weeks.”  
“I know what you mean.” Josie agreed quietly. She cleared her throat, patting the top of her head subconsciously. “It’s weird not having her around.”  
“We’ll find her.” He reassured, trying to pep himself up as well. With so long without a single trace of her, even he was starting to feel hopeless. But he had to stay strong, for his men, for Eli and Josie. 

“I know.” She clapped her hands together. “If you’re not busy, I’m ready for you whenever.”  
“Ready for what?”  
“Your checkup? The one I told you about yesterday.”  
“Oh, shit. It completely slipped my mind.”  
He grabbed the envelopes. “Could I open these while you work?”  
“Of course, I’ll try to be quick.” She gestured for him to follow. He followed dutifully, sitting on the table when she directed him. Apparently people were supposed to have these twice a year, something he never thought about unless he had something wrong with him. 

The physical went over without a hitch, he was not in a joking mood today, so little pleasantries were exchanged. She was very speedy with her work and very accurate with her movements. She moved like a veteran nurse, precise and calculated even with the most minor things. He read the letters as she worked. Mostly just missives about gang activity, each borough sent in monthly reports to them, but since the fall of the Blighters, things had been mostly quiet. Each letter got his hopes up, wondering if they found anything about Eileen, but each footnote was negative. After a stretch of silence, he realized that Josie had asked him a question.

“Sorry?”  
“I asked how your head was? Samuel told me you took a rough fall a while ago.”  
“Yeah, ‘bout three weeks back. Eileen said it was a just concussion.”  
“Have you had any problems since? Headaches or changes in vision?”  
“No, everything’s been peachy.”  
“That’s good, I know that Eileen is especially concerned about head traumas. Ever since my husband died, she’s taken extra care.”  
“How did your husband die?”  
“Head trauma, we thought it was a concussion at first, but then the seizures started. Alexander passed in his sleep thankfully. Eileen felt terrible, she had been the one to diagnose him.”

Well shit, he was a tit. No wonder Eileen had been so worried about his head that day. Josie must have seen something on his face, but he looked down at his papers to hide the guilt on his face. He pretended to be interested in a report from the Southwark borough. She didn’t ask about it.  
“My husband was just as stubborn as you Mr Frye. He insisted everything was fine, even on his death bed. I see a lot of him in you.”

“What was he like?” Jacob didn’t know much about the nurse’s life, and he needed a distraction from how awful of a person he was.  
“Besides stubborn? He was real sweet, always had a smile on his face even in the bad times. We got married young, and we struggled a lot in those early years, but he always had that smile. Felt like he could cure the world of sadness just by standing next to him.” She had a sorta sad look on her face as she spoke. “He’s in a better place now. And I know he’s looking down on us and smiling that same smile.”  
“I think he’d be proud of you.”  
“Working for a gang? I’m surprised he hasn’t risen from the dead to ask me what the hell I’m doing.” She chuckled, setting her tools back into the bag. “But yeah, I think he knows I’m helping people.” 

“I think he’d be happy to know you’re happy.” Jacob smiled when he saw a blush overcome her dark cheeks. “I’ve gotta say, Samuel is a looker.”  
“He’s more than that.” She insisted. “He’s kind and has more love in his heart than I ever seen. He’s a wonderful man for my kids to be around and my mother is already asking for more grand babies.”  
“Do you love him?”  
“I think I do. A part of my heart will always belong to Alexander, but I’m ready to not be alone anymore. Everyone needs that someone in their life.” She sent him a look, but unfortunately he was only half-listening, something the letter said stuck out to him. 

“Josie, how big are the hospitals?”  
“Plenty big, we have to have room for everyone.”  
“Are there sub-levels? Basements or whatnot?”  
“Yeah, that’s where the morgue attendant keeps the bodies, but hardly anyone goes down there. Why do you ask?”

“Is Dr. Faulkner always at Southwark?”  
“He hardly leaves, some think he actually sleeps there.”  
“Jesus, I’m thick!” He smacked his head.  
“What’s wrong?”  
“Faulkner never leaves, no one would be amiss if they saw him there at any odd hour?”

“Oh my God, you think that’s where they’re keeping her?”  
“It’s worth a visit to the good Doctor, isn’t it?” Jacob felt his entire body hum with adrenaline, ready to charge headfirst into this raid. The door burst open behind him, Evie and Elijah tumbling in out of the cold. His sister had a bright look in her eye, the same that usually came with a good idea.

“I’ve got a lead!”  
“I’ve got a lead!” 

“Wait, you’ve got one too?” Jacob asked, tilting his head.  
“About Eileen, Eli and I were just going over some of his memories from when he was captured, to see if he remembered anything.”  
“The work site they had us working by the docks. There was a lot of construction work being done, so we didn’t go too far into it.” Eli said, looking more alive now than ever.  
“So we took a trip down there, and there are a bunch of Blighters blocking the entrance to the sewers.” 

“You think she’s down there?”  
“It doesn’t hurt to look. We’re running out of hiding places.”  
“Great, because I know where Dr. Faulkner is holed up.”  
“Fantastic. How should we approach this? We shouldn’t bring too many Rooks with us, it’ll draw attention and they could bolt.”  
“Two of us, two leads. You take Faulkner and I’ll check the sewers.” Evie said. “I’ll take Samuel, you can take Teddy for back up.”

“I’m coming with you.” Eli said firmly.  
“Eli, no offense, but we can’t bring you with us.” Jacob said.  
“But this is my sister we’re talking about. I need to find her.”  
“And you’ve done all you can to help. You’ve done your part, now let us do ours.” Evie patted his arm, but he batted her away.  
“You don’t understand, this whole time she’s been taking care of me, been burdened because of this,” He gestured to the cutoff of his right sleeve. “I owe it to her to make it right, I can’t let her go through the same things I did. Please let me help?” 

Eli looked like a kicked puppy, a kicked puppy who hasn’t had a good nights sleep in weeks and was probably slightly intoxicated at the moment. Jacob couldn’t find it in his heart to tell him no.  
“Alright, but leave the fighting for Teddy and me, I don’t want you to get hurt.”  
Eli nodded in agreement.  
“I’ll let the urchins know that you’ll need them to run messages. Should I head over to the Southwark stronghold?”  
“We’ll bring Bertha around, I’d rather have Eileen on the move where she’ll be safe. Meet us there.” Jacob said. Josie nodded and started gathering supplies.

“Teddy has a growler out front. Try not to burn down the hospital.”  
“I can’t make any promises, but no big disasters will happen.” He wasn’t in a cheerful mood like in other missions. Sure he was hunting down a prominent Templar, but this mission felt charged. Heavier, with much more at stake.  
“Hey,” Evie grabbed his hand as he was leaving, looking him in the eye as she spoke. “We’re bring her home tonight.”  
“Damn right about that.” He said tensely, pulling up his hood and ushering Eli out.

He wasn’t resting until Eileen was safe and sound.

~~~

It was pitifully easy to sneak into the hospital, the night staff was sparse and those on duty were focused on their patients. The three men were able to waltz right in and into the crypt without any issue. The morgue was mostly empty, half-filled boxes littered the area while the sounds of a furnace rattled in another room. It looked like Faulkner was ditching his research. 

“Alright, we need a plan.” Jacob muttered as they crept along the wall. His vision wasn’t picking up Faulkner yet, not close enough to the target. As much as he would love to charge in, these tunnels were a maze. Faulkner could very easily give them the slip if they weren’t careful.  
“I have a plan.” Eli said.  
“You gonna share with the class?” Jacob asked just as Eli slipped past Teddy and stumbled out into the open, ignoring Jacob’s hissing to get back.

“Faulkner? Where are you, you bastard!” Eli roared to the empty room. Teddy just managed to grab Jacob before he could nab the Morris twin. A door flung open somewhere in the basement, loud footsteps stomping their way over. Eli decided to make more of a ruckus, kicking boxes and shattering the bottles within the them. He was acting like a drunken lunatic!  
“Eli, what the shit!” Jacob whisper-yelled at the one-armed Rook. Eli turned towards them and winked, surprisingly sober for the moment. 

The footsteps finally reached them, several men in red coats grabbing Eli and forcing him down to his knees. Eli kept up the act, flailing and spitting curses that would have made any woman of substance flush. Peeking between the boxes, Teddy and Jacob watched as they finally got the Rook under control. Controlled footsteps entered the room, Dr. Faulkner finally entering the fray. Jacob flexed his wrist to engage his blade, itching to bury it in his throat and make his white coat as red as the Blighters.

“I shouldn’t be surprised that you would be the one to find me.” Faulkner spoke in a cool tone as if observing a subject rather than a person.  
“Where’s my sister? What have you done with Eileen?”  
“Why would I have anything to do with your sister? She’s a criminal who stole from me and the people of London. She’s a horrid stain on this hospital's record.”  
“I found the correspondence between you and the Blighters. I know that you let Reginald Watterstrat know of my position and orchestrated this whole thing!”  
“Boy, I am a respected member of society, why would I consort with gangs?” He tutted as he shook his head. “You are sick, your time in the asylum has done your head in.” Faulkner waved his hand, dismissing him completely.

“You were there!”  
Dr Faulkner stopped walking.  
“You were at the asylum when I was. You worked under Dr. Elliottson, you were helping with the experiments on those in the asylum. I couldn’t place you at first, but now I remember.”  
Faulkner turned around, regarding Eli with an odd gleam in his eye. 

“Now you remember? All of the horrible shit you drugged me with? The torture you put everyone through? You are a monster, even more so than Elliottson!”  
A loud smack echoed in the quiet room, nearly sending Eli toppling as the goons adjusted their grip.  
“I’m surprised it took you this long, then again, we did sedate you heavily under your father’s orders. He wanted to see if we could drug the curse out of you, but clearly, that didn’t work.” Faulkner spoke quietly. “Of course, that might have been because you were a failure overall.”

“Why target my sister? She had nothing to do with me!”  
“Do you know how rare twins can be in this world? I have only met one other set before you. I have theories and hypotheses about them, how they respond to different stimuli. Most often they react very differently. For example, the lash marks on your back barely had you whimpering. Yet your sister screamed and sobbed so delightfully easily.”  
Eli yelled and tried to escape his captors, but they held fast. Jacob flexed his wrist again, stalking from his hiding place to get behind Faulkner. It was time to put an end to this.  
“Could you feel the pain? I’ve wondered if those who share a womb could feel what the other felt. So tell me, Elijah, for the sake of science, did you feel scared in the past three weeks? Could you feel pain even while you were completely safe?”  
“You bastard!” Eli screamed. “I’ll kill you for this!”

“Oh, you won’t get the chance. And neither will Mr. Frye.”  
Jacob didn’t have time to dodge before Dr. Faulkner moved, throwing something in his direction. A sharp pain pricked his neck. He held back a gasp, every single muscle in his body seizing up and locking in place. He toppled like a statue, unable to move a single inch as he lay on his stomach. Dr. Faulkner stood over him, looking quite gleeful at the state of the gang leader.  
“Do you like my new project? I’ve been crafting it for weeks now, Miss Morris has been a wonderful test subject.”  
If Jacob could move his mouth, he’d probably shout something awful at the doctor, but his jaw was cramped up like it had been wired shut. He couldn’t even wiggle his fingers or toes, whatever this stuff was it was strong, immobilizing him with one dart.  
“Unfortunately it only lasts for a little while, but I shall be long gone by that point.” Dr. Faulkner shook his head, plucking the dart from his neck. “I just need to do some tidying up of affairs before I go. I hear Berlin is very nice this time of year.” 

Jacob has never let a target escape before, and here he was, bound by some chemical letting a very dangerous man walk away. He had never felt this powerless before. Eli was held down by the gang members, pinning him to the ground like a bug.  
“Unfortunately, I don’t have another dart for you. So I supposed I’ll just have to off you the old fashioned way.” Dr. Faulkner pulled out a gun, cocking the safety off. “I dearly hope that your sister will be able to feel this. Perhaps I’ll go visit her after this to collect the findings. But I cannot have any loose ends now.” He pointed the pistol at Eli's head.

A shot went off, but it wasn’t from Faulkner. The doctor grabbed his chest, blood blooming from his chest. The gang members shot up, forgetting about Eli for a moment as they attacked Teddy, who reloaded his gun and fired again, missing one of the men just barely. Now with the dart out, he could concentrate on moving, wiggling his left hand until it finally moved. Faulkner, choking on his own blood, stumbled to the ground just inches away. Summoning up all of the energy, he thrust his hand forwards, his blade sinking into the exposed section of Faulkner’s throat. 

The world tilted, seeming to vanish under his feet as he went into the headspace. He never knew what to call this place, when he was kneeling over his target’s dead body, listening to their last confession as if he hadn’t put a blade through their throat. There was probably an official name for it that Evie would remember from their lessons, but he couldn’t find it in himself to care about terms and names. 

“Shot through the heart, and by a homosexual no less. Not the way I thought I’d go.” Faulkner didn’t sound as mournful about his death as others he had killed.  
“Your work is finished.“ Jacob said. “Where is Eileen?”  
“She’s not here, in case you wanted to be the hero today.”  
“Where is she?”  
“You expect me to just roll over and give up? No, I’ll die before I tell you anything.”  
“I guess then it doesn’t matter. I will find her. You won’t be able to hurt her anymore.”  
Faulkner laughed, blood trickling out of his mouth. “My work is already done on her. Even once I’m gone, she’ll never be able to forget me.”

Faulkner’s head collapsed back, his eyes losing the life and light in them. Jacob held back a growl as he wiped the blood from his neck with the handkerchief. This man didn’t even deserve to stain his rag, but he had to mark his target one way. As the world shifted back, he finally was able to move his body, the effects of the paralysis finally wearing off as Teddy helped Eli to his feet, tenderly looking over his lover. 

“Are you alright?” Teddy brushed some dirt off of his face.  
“I’m fine. Thank you.”  
Teddy didn’t respond, lifting his hand to his mouth for a chaste kiss. If Jacob hadn’t been there, they might have been more intimate. 

“Did you find out where Eileen is?” Eli asked Jacob, looking hopeful.  
“She’s not here. That’s all I could get out of him.”  
Eli’s shoulders dropped.  
“Hey, Miss Frye still has her mission.” Teddy tried to encourage them. “We should get back to the train to meet them.”  
Jacob nodded. “Remind me later to promote you.” Teddy looked away bashfully. 

“What should we do about the body?” Eli asked, his nose wrinkled at the sight of the dead doctor.  
“I’ll contact Freddy, see if something can be spun for this. Maybe they’ll frame him for the drug smuggling.” Jacob couldn’t even think that far ahead, his mind stuck on finding Eileen. 

If she wasn’t here, where could she be?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope to have chapter 12 up soon as well, so keep an eye out!


	12. Chapter 12

~~~

A broken pipe was dripping water, the faint sound echoing in the cavernous prison. It must be raining again. It only ever did that when it rained, which was a common occurrence for London, especially in the fall when the rain seemed to fall every single day. It’s the only indicator of how long she has been here. The people keeping her here changed sporadically, always the same men and women keeping watch. Apparently, watching her was the easiest job at the moment, where they could play cards and even snooze for a while, it wasn’t like she was going anywhere. At first, she needed to be bound from head to toe, gagged so she couldn't scream insults at them all hours of the day. But ever since…  
But now, Eileen couldn’t remember the last time that she spoke, her own voice that of a stranger. Instead, she sat in the damp corner of her makeshift prison cell, watching the rainwater dribble down from the ceiling, counting down the hours until her next _“lesson”_. All she could do was ignore the flaring pain of the injuries and pray that infection took her quietly before the Templars got bored decided to finish her off themselves. 

She had given up on a rescue a long time ago. Now the only time that she entertained the thought was in her dreams. Sometimes it was Elijah, most of the time it was Jacob, her knights in shining armor who would storm the dank sewers and save her from this Hell. In the beginning, Eileen had been so sure of her loved ones coming for her, it’s all she talked about. But as the days and the pain grew, her certainty had turned into a dream, and now it was hardly a distant hope, the last sane part of her that refused to give in. She wanted to cling to that with white knuckles, but it was like holding water in her hands. But eventually, the trickle would stop.

It had been several days since Faulkner’s last visit, so her body was sorer than in pain. Eileen cursed herself for being blind to Dr. Faulkner’s betrayal, she should have seen it coming, the pieces falling into place too late. Had she thought he was cruel before, it couldn’t even hold a candle to what he had done to her, what he had allowed to be done to her. It wasn’t just beating her within an inch of consciousness or starving her until she begged feeble for table scraps, the gang members got creative with how to hurt her. Her back constantly throbbed to the beat of her heart from the lashes, but worst of all was her hands, her fingers were broken and re-broken so many times, she lost track. She could barely move them without terrible pain. 

A loud noise had Eileen jerking awake, hardly registering that her eyes were closed. The three guards stopped their chattering, throwing down the cards they were playing with and grabbing their weapons. She could hear their grumbling start to fade as they went deeper into the sewers to investigate. Eileen counted out several minutes before she moved. Legs trembling, she stumbled to her feet and peeked her head outside of the bars. The only noise she could hear was the distant dripping. 

She had to act quickly, who knew how long the Blighters would be gone for, and if they caught her trying to escape again, she knew that she would be in deep trouble. Eileen couldn’t wait any longer for a rescue, so she would take matters into her own broken hands. If she could get out of the sewers, she would be in the clear. The Rooks controlled all of London by now, she didn’t have to look very hard to find a patrol. Even if they weren’t actively looking for her, they would recognize her as the nurse from Whitechapel, the one with the brother that lost an arm. But first, she had to get out.

As much as she didn’t want to miss out on the meager meals, she had starved herself for two days now. Just enough that she could slip through the wide bars of the doors. They weren’t made to be a holding cell, so they weren’t as small as they were at the jail in Whitechapel. She had tested to see if she could fit through, hence the starving, but she never had the opportunity to actually follow through with her plan. But her time was short and she had to act soon.

Lifting one leg, she gently eased her way through the widest of the bars. Eileen leaned forwards as much as possible, trying to avoid the cold, harsh metal from meeting her swollen back, but her shift caught on the metal, dragging against her spine. She gasped and choked on the scream that wanted to fall past her lips. Biting down on her numbed fingers, Eileen shoved herself the rest of the way through, ignoring how some of the lashes on her back tore open and bleed freely once more, hot blood pouring down her spine. Breathing harshly, Eileen picked up on the sounds of shouting down the way. 

Terror caused some people to freeze in place, but her fear sent her running blindly through the damp corridors. Her cold feet slipped and slid around corners, but she could not stop. Heart beating madly, she pushed on, distantly realizing that she had no idea where she was going. At this point, it didn’t matter. This was the closest that freedom had ever been, and she wasn’t going to stop for anything less than seeing the surface. Horrifically lost now, she couldn’t retrace her steps if she wanted to. Her feet were blistered and a bit swelled from lack of use as she hurried along, catching on uneven cobblestone and stumbling from the cold. She had to keep pushing forwards.  
So she pushed.

She kept pushing until she nearly passed an exit, stumbling to a stop despite the ache in her body. Hobbling like some drunkard on a Saturday night, Eileen stumbled blindly towards the light. The gas street lamps were the brightest thing she had seen in weeks, the sky losing its light to the dark of night. With a heaving breath, Eileen’s feet met dirt, breathing fresh air for the first time in weeks. She couldn’t even stop to admire how wonderful the rain felt on her skin or even the horrific smell of the Thames. Her heart was still beating erratically as she pushed out into the night, climbing up the construction site until she had pavement under her feet. 

Unfortunately for her, there were hardly any pedestrians out at this time, and certainly not in this weather. As nice as the rain had felt initially, it now chilled her to the bone. Her shift clung to her, and she was very glad she had decided to wear one of her heavier cotton ones, especially since they took her dress and corset weeks ago. She felt exposed to the world, although there were few to see. She kept moving, trying to get her bearings as she went.

Judging from how close she was to the Thames and a large number of industrial sights, she had to be near the Strand, maybe Southwark. She was less familiar with these areas than Whitechapel, having only driven by here. Eileen had a vague recollection of how to get to the Rook stronghold, but not from here. She needed to get her head on straight, but it was getting harder to concentrate. She was half-starved, dehydrated, injured, and now soaked. It was a bad combination, a dizzying feeling making her stumble and sway. 

She wasn’t quite sure how she got where she was, but she was in a back alley, collapsing next to some bins filled with garbage. Ignoring the splitting pain down her back, she curled in on herself.  
Damn it! She was so close to freedom, to being safe, and she couldn’t even take another step. Eileen grit her teeth and tried to use her hands to push against the wall, but the cold and pain made them stiff and uncooperative. A few stray tears slid out, but she pretended it was rain. 

Faulkner had said that she would die amongst the rubbish of this world. Perhaps he had meant it literally. She would have chuckled at the irony of it if she found the strength to laugh. Breathing heavily, she closed her eyes, sending one last apology to her loved ones for being too weak once again.

“‘Ey! You’re in our spot!”  
Eileen blinked her eyes open, rainwater making it hard to see the three kids that stood over her, peering curiously at her. Two boys and one girl  
“What’s wrong with you?” One little boy with several missing teeth asked, tilting his head at her like he was trying to place her. Eileen had to squint to see his features from under his hat, he looked strangely familiar. It wasn’t until she saw that he was missing his right ear that she made the connection.

“Abel?” Her voice cracked. When was the last time she spoken aloud?  
The dark-haired boy’s eyes widened to the size of saucers.  
“Miss Eileen!” Abel turned to the other two children, she had forgotten their names, but she knew they were also Clara’s children too. “Go find Miss Frye, we just saw her not too long ago by the docks.” The two nodded and sprinted off, screaming for the gang leader in the quiet of the night.

Abel was talking, hugging her neck tightly. It took every conscious thought to not scream out in pain when he bumped her back into the brick wall.  
“I was so worried! Clara said you’ve been missing for weeks, but I never gave up. Mr. Frye comes by every day to ask if we know anything, but we didn’t. I started my own search party to find you, and now we found you! Where were you? Why are you in your jammies? Why were you running? Did you cut your own hair? Are- You’re crying, Miss Eileen.” Abel trailed off. 

She didn’t want to cry in front of him, she was an adult for crying out loud, but she couldn’t help it. Even his pestering questions made her feel safer. She had escaped.  
“I’m okay. I was just really scared…” Eileen’s voice started to trail off, a large burst of pain flaring up and down her back. A small whimper escaped her lips.  
“Don’t worry Miss Eileen. I won’t leave ya.” Abel sunk to his knees, digging for her hand to hold. “I’ll even hold your hand for ya, like you held mine, remember?”  
She could only nod, breathing heavily through her nose. 

She needed to stay awake, at least until help could come, she needed to let them know about her back and hands and…

The loud clatter of hooves against cobblestone had her jerking back to reality, heavy footsteps pounding over to their location.  
“Eileen!” Two familiar voices called her name. She could barely hold up her head now, trembling from the cold, the rain, and the pain. Hands grasped a hold of her face, large but exceedingly gentle. The street lamp light bounced off the top of his bald head, a light source of his own making.  
“Samuel…” Eileen said softly. “Imma mess.”

Despite the obvious situation, he chuckled softly.  
“Then it’s a good thing I was trained by the best nurse in the city.” He patted the top of her head. “So what’s going on?”  
“The lashes on my back, some of them are deep and won’t stop bleeding. I can’t really feel my hands, and I’m hurt all over.” Her voice trembled.  
“Can you walk?”  
She shook her head. 

“That’s alright, it’s what I’m here for. I’m the heavy lifter.” Samuel shimmied out of his heavy green coat. “We need to get out of the rain. Josie said that we’re meeting back at the train, right?”  
“Yes, it should be at the station any minute.” Miss Frye’s voice came from behind him, trying to calm Abel down.  
“Why can’t I go with you? There’s more than enough room in the carriage.” The young boy's tone was panicked, waving his arms around as he argued.  
“Miss Morris is really sick, and we’ve gotta hurry.” Miss Frye’s voice was soft but had an edge to it. “I promise I will personally tell you how she is doing, but she needs to go with us now.”  
“But I promised to hold her hand!” 

Eileen hissed, Samuel had used the distraction to try to sneak the coat around her shoulders. He winced in apology but drew his heavy jacket tighter.  
“I need to lift you, on the count of three, yeah?”  
Eileen nodded, readying herself for the pain.  
Samuel quickly counted and pulled her into his arms, like a parent would carry their child. The coat covered the open wounds but the act of moving sent ripples of sharp pain down her back. She gasped and tried to hold back the cry of pain, but it was a lot. She felt the world tilt but fought to stay awake. 

“It’s alright, it’s alright.” Samuel tried to soothe her as he speeds walked to the carriage, Miss Frye close behind them. Abel had been convinced to stay put, the other children dragging him off.  
“You’re alright now, Eileen. We’re taking you to the train.” Miss Frye explained as she caught up. “Everyone is waiting there for you.”  
Eileen forced her hand to move, catching Miss Frye’s coat. She looked back to the injured nurse. “Thank you.” Her voice was nearly lost to the pattering of the rain.  
“We aren’t out of the woods yet. Save your strength.” The Assassin swung herself up to the top of the carriage, ready to drive to the station. Samuel didn’t even pause as he climbed in, slamming the door closed behind them. The carriage was moving before the door had even closed, rushing down the streets of London. 

Eileen let out a long breath. She was safe.

~~~

She wasn’t allowed to sleep, Samuel did an annoyingly good job of keeping her conscious, having her recite the alphabet backward and do long division during their journey. Even as they transferred from the carriage to the train. Hardly anyone was out, and no one paid them any mind as they boarded _Bertha_. Josephine meet them at one of the train cars, ushering Samuel to go in ahead of her.

“Let the boys know of her condition, but don’t let them in unless I ask?”  
“Of course.” Miss Frye nodded and hurried to the back of the train. Josephine lead Samuel and Eileen into a cart that she had never seen before.

“Mr. Frye insisted we use his quarters, he wouldn’t take no for an answer.” If Eileen had any blood left in her face, she’d blush. So, she settled for pressing her face into Samuel’s shoulder. He carefully eased her down on the bed. Josephine was a flurry of actions, grabbing her medical bag and organizing the tools she’d need. Samuel, gently placed a hand on her shoulder, stopping her for a moment.  
“I’ve got it. You get the tea.” His voice was so soft, and Josephine reacted to that. Taking a deep breath, she kissed his knuckles and turned back around to grab the cup and saucer of tea. Eileen stocked that away to ask about when she wasn’t on death’s door.

“Drink this.” Something warm but bitter smelling was pressed into her hands. “Sorry, I would have added honey or something, but they were all out.” Josephine smiled tightly. Eileen couldn’t return the gesture, but took the drink and slowly drained it without complaint. It was just as awful tasting as it smelled, but she forced it down with a grimace and a gag.  
“Good girl.” She encouraged her friend, taking the cup from her. “I have a bath ready for you, then we’ll fix whatever needs fixing, and then you can rest, is that alright?”  
Eileen nodded, she wanted to talk again, to ask questions and reunite with her dear friend, but she was already feeling sated from whatever they had put in the tea. At least it wasn’t laudanum, she mused as she leaned heavily on Josephine. 

The rest of the night went by in spurts of memories. She was in and out, but she never really fell asleep. She remembered Josephine gently rubbing her down in a bathtub, a washcloth careful to avoid the deepest cuts and bruises. Then there was a dull pain down her back, muted and far away, like the voice that was crying out. Was it her? Once the pain subsided, she saw Samuel cart away an armful of bloodied bandages, his brow pinched with worry.  
She heard voices speaking, but she couldn’t muster the strength to open her eyes, let alone have a conversation. Gentle hands touched her arms and face, at one point she swore she felt lips on the top of her head, but she was too far gone to question anything. Sleep pulled insistently on her, drawing her into the dark embrace where there were no voices and no pain. 

Just silence.

~~~

Eileen needed to wake up, but there wasn’t a sense of urgency behind it. It wasn’t the same as when she had woken up in a wet and dingy corner of a sewer, chained to the wall like some circus animal. Wherever she was now was warm and dark, the distant smell of burning coal and a steady clacking of metal was enough to convince her that she had been moved from her former prison. She had either died and was now in some afterlife, or she was rescued and being helped. Neither option was a bad one, she figured as her tired eyes blinked open.

Even in the dim room, her eyes took a moment to adjust to the change, trying to see exactly where she was. There was a bookshelf filled to the brim with novels across from her, a fireplace with embers burning lowly. She was tucked in a large bed, face pressed into the soft pillows. There was a faint smell of gunpowder and something heavy, unfamiliar but comforting. 

As she blinked again, her eyes fell on a slumped figure in an armchair in front of the fireplace, holding another figure in their lap. Eileen recognized the loose suspenders and tattoos of her brother’s lover, the breath blowing her brother’s dark hair with every exhale. Her face stretched uncomfortably into a smile. Elijah looked so peaceful when asleep, contrasting to his usual animated self when he was awake. 

Eileen moved her head the slightest bit, but that was enough to jar some of the discomforts in her body to full-blown pain. Her gasp of pain was so quiet, eyes closing as shallow breaths tried to dispel the hurt. But her small noise was enough to attract the attention of someone else in the room, feet shuffling against the carpeted floor. A delightfully cool hand pressed against her cheek, she nearly cooed at the change. Opening her eyes, she felt another smile threaten to break across her face. 

Jacob knelt beside the bed, top hat and gloves missing for once. He looked much smaller without the heavy coat on, even his gauntlet had been put aside. Had she been in a better state, she would have made a teasing remark about him being indecently naked. Her eyes scanned over his face, taking in every single feature of his face as if she was dying of thirst. He looked tired, dark circles under his eyes and his hair disheveled. Nevertheless, he smiled warmly at her, like she was the sun in his sky and he would have gladly burned in her embrace as Icarus had.

“Take it easy, love, you’re messed up in several ways.” He whispered, glancing at Elijah and Theodore cuddling just meters away. “Can you talk?”  
Eileen opened her mouth, a breathy rattling answering him.  
“Just rest, Lee-Lee.” Jacob used his chilled hands to trace the tacky bandage on her face, bumping over the edges comfortingly.  
Eileen tried to make a noise, anything to show that she understood without moving her head, but she sounded like a squeaky toy with the box removed. So, instead, she blinked twice, allowing her eyes to stay closed the second time. 

She pretended not to feel the kiss on her bandage before she fell back into a dark and peaceful slumber.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> She's finally safe! Hooray! Now onto the recovery and two characters will (finally) sit down and talk about their feelings like grown ups :D

**Author's Note:**

> Don't forget to leave kudos and comment on what you think!


End file.
